Oak Park/Highland Park FALL FEST
2006
Committee
Ed Linebach
229-4456
Clay Blanchard
249-3213
HPBC Picnic 2005HP Community Action Association
With some 1,700 FALL FEST fliers being handed out, no wonder this line was so long. Some patiently, others not so patiently No ... not for the Porta-Potties. They were waiting for their turn on the ...
This guy looked like he'd been in line for a while so we ask him what the line was for. It was for the hay-rack rides. Their official flier advertised six starting times. Actually, they kept running new tractor rides until they drew the raffle winners way after dark.
Here's one now -- returning with a fresh load of kids.
You can pile quite a few kids and parents onto a flat-bed hay rack. We
suspect some of these passengers rode more than once.
We arrived about the time of the last scheduled ride but didn't know they
had no plans to stop hauling passengers, so we headed for our FREE
refreshments -- hamburgers, chips, and a soft drink.
We found the line over here almost as long. After standing in it for a
while, we found we were in the wrong line. We'd picked this one
because it was shorter.
Of course, kids can't just stand in line. They have to run, rassle,
fight, dance, or all of the above.
We were waiting for hot hamburgers (and cheeseburgers) fresh off the grill.
Some opted for the hotdogs. Everyone got chips and a drink.
The kids that weren't running, rassling, fighting, or dancing were making
faces at us and/or trying to hide.
We can't explain this guy at all.
Because we were concentrating on the preparation of our burgers.
No burgers here, Guess they polished them off fast and then got down
to some serious drinking.
Some were still working on their hotdogs.
Or Cheetos.
Others were inspecting the upcoming raffle prizes.
Meanwhile, hundreds and hundreds of Canada geese were flying overhead.
Evidently the Highland Park Little League field is a favorite stopover on
their way South.
And as the sun sank slowly in the west, we decided to get in the line for
the tractor rides.
However, someone put new batteries in many of the kids. While we were
hayrack riding, someone else lit the bonfire.
After we cooled off on our hayrack ride, the bonfire felt mighty toasty --
at least on the side facing the fire. (Our backsides stayed cool.)
We watched the flames until the last tractor returned. Then we headed
over for the drawing.
We beat most of the crowd back.
Everyone was checking out their ticket numbers.
Lotsa people had more than one ticket. The winners were too numerous
to include here. Thanks to all the sponsors.
Here's Clay Blanchard, one of the Oak Park/Highland Park FALL FEST
organizers. Give him a hand of applause.
And Ed Linebach, the other chief organizer, tried to sell us more
tickets while we took his picture. He promised twice as big a crowd
and twice as many hayracks next year.
As the bonfire finally started dying, we decided to head back to
civilization. LA
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2006
Sponsors
Hiland Park
Hardware
Bill Wheeler, Owner
244-0443
and
Kiwanis Riverview
Nature Island
LA_Aqualand@msn.com
Oak
Park Neighborhood Association
a.finley@mchsi.com
Community Action Association
john.morrissey@peoplepc.com
Highland Park Little League