Bulldog Days:

Plans still being finalized

— Bulldog Days will be held Oct. 9 and 10 in Veterans Park and will include a car and corvette show, a carnival, musical entertainment, arts and crafts, food vendors and possibly hot air balloons, the parks and recreation committee concluded.

Committee members met with Mayor Bill Montgomery and aldermen Trip Lapham and Linda Martin on Sept. 15 to make concrete plans for the upcoming festival.

Montgomery said he planned to meet with the carnival owners on Sept. 16 to lay out how they will set up their rides and party jumpers in the park. The carnival will require a 300-by-500-foot area, he said.

"This carnival is as big or bigger than the one at the Benton County Fair," Montgomery said.

The city will not be charging the carnival or vendors large fees to set up in Decatur. The festival is in its "building years" and should not expect to make a large profit, Lapham said.

The car show, scheduled for Oct. 10, will be divided into separate classes for Corvette's and for other cars, organizer Rick Tilly said.

So far, no musical entertainment has been secured for the event.

"We're going to have to have music going for the car show," Tilly said.

He suggested contacting disc jockey Mike Chase about emceeing for the event and providing music.

The committee also discussed lighting for the event.

Montgomery said the city has agreed to consider purchasing lights to mount on the utility poles, similar to the ones used at T-N-T Express.

Mike Barnett pointed outthe lights need to have an on and off switch or be set to automatic timers so they don't disturb the surrounding subdivision or highway traffic.

Police chief Terry Luker pointed out the ball field lights and the lights from the carnival will also help illuminate the event.

The committee has much to accomplish in the three weeks before the festival.

Lapham, the committee's liaison to the city council, said committee members need to elect officers to take responsibility for making sure things get done next year.

He also said the committee needs to start making plans much earlier next year.

Montgomery decided to have the committee meet weekly, on Tuesday nights, until the festival, to complete the plans.

News, Pages 1, 2 on 09/23/2009