By: Timothy Kays
Okay, so there were no palm trees gently swaying in the tropical breeze, and the banks of the St. Joseph River will never be famous for surfboards. beach blankets, beach umbrellas and a place to ‘catch some rays.’ When the Edgerton Chamber of Commerce turned Bulldog City into a beach themed party for the 2019 Edgerton Homecoming Festival over the weekend of July 26-28 though, you couldn’t help but go with the flow.
Everything started off on Friday evening at Miller Park with the Hicksville Bank 5-K registrations at 5:30. The Fun Run commenced at 6:00, with the 5-K following shortly after. At the same time, the lawn mower pulls were taking place at the north end of Miller Park on the same pull track where the tractor pulls would be staged the following evening. A poker tournament began at 7:45, with Lee Warren and Tara Renee providing live music starting at 8:00.
On Saturday, the ‘Beach-themed’ parade started at 11:00, winding its way down from Miller Park, eastward on West Vine to the downtown district, then turning north on Michigan Street through downtown to the Edgerton Local Schools campus on River Street. Back at Miller Park at 1:00, a three-on-three hoops tournament and a cornhole tournament got underway, while merchants and food vendors opened up for business.
Also at 1:00, the gates opened for the truck and tractor pulls, two events that made a highly successful return after a few years away. “We’ve been encouraging people to come around early and get a good seat,” said Christian Elden of the Edgerton Chamber prior to the event. Mr. Elden’s advice was more than sound as competition over ten different classes drew a big crowd to welcome back the event.
On Sunday, a Children’s Carnival was staged for the kids from noon until 2:00 at the Parkview Nursing Center on Laubach Drive. Those too old for that event could be found over at the ball diamonds where a co-ed softball tournament got underway
“We were really pleased with the overall attendance,” said Mr. Elden. “We had great turnout for the truck pulls on Saturday night. We were really happy with how that came together, and we’re already looking forward to next year. It rained just for a second on Saturday evening during the tractor pulls but I heard them pretty much immediately afterward. I was at my house by then, and I heard them fire it back up, so I don’t think it hurt anything.”
What was the high point of the weekend? That was a tough question to answer, but Mr. Elden tried to narrow it down, saying, “The community support, and I think the truck and tractor pulls were the highlight for everybody. We had a lot of good feedback from vendors, the pullers themselves and the fans that came out. I think being the first year back after a little hiatus, I think it went really well. I think that everyone involved was pretty happy with how it turned out.”
Timothy can be reached at tim@thevillagereporter.com