Sulphur celebration draws many despite heat

Photo by Susan Holland This blue 1946 Ford 350, owned by Donnie Ketchum of Decatur, won the first place trophy in the older pickups class at the Sulphur Springs Independene Day car show Saturday. The vehicle was also judged best of show, much to the surprise and delight of its owner.
Photo by Susan Holland This blue 1946 Ford 350, owned by Donnie Ketchum of Decatur, won the first place trophy in the older pickups class at the Sulphur Springs Independene Day car show Saturday. The vehicle was also judged best of show, much to the surprise and delight of its owner.

— The park in the city of Sulphur Springs filled with people last Saturday as folks braved the heat to come out and participate in the annual Independence Day celebration. Activities started early and continued throughout the day and on into the evening without a lull.

A pancake breakfast, sponsored by the Sulphur Springs special events committee, kicked off the day at 7:30 a.m. Members of the committee served pancakes, sausage patties, fried eggs and orange juice until 9 a.m. and accepted donations for city improvement projects.

Youngsters began to arrive early as registration started at 8 a.m. for the fishing derby at Lake LaBalladine. The horn sounded at 8:30 to signal the start of fishing and hooks flew into the water. When the event ended, trophies were awarded in three age groups. Donnie Ellis, of Gravette, was the winner in the 5 and under age group. Jonny Pollard, 10, of Gravette, won the 5-10 year category, and J.D. Middleton won the 10-15 year division with a 20-inch catfish.

The car show drew several entries, and visitors enjoyed browsing through the rows of cars lined up around the perimeter of the park. A blue 1947 Ford 350 pickup, owned by Donnie Ketchum of Decatur, was awarded the best of show trophy. The vehicle also won the trophy for first place in the older pickups category. After the car show, several drivers participated in a burnout just across the street from the park, including a few of the trophy winners.

Two other vehicles in the park drew much attention as several youths paid to beat a car with a sledgehammer in the car-bash event. The "money car" attracted a number of entrants. The final $50 bill was never found despite repeated searches of the car. Vehicles for both these events were donated by Got Junk? recyclers of Noel, Mo.

The big red key was finally found in the treasure hunt event and the winners, Santos and Audelia Zapata, received a goodie bag containing $75 worth of gift certificates and other gifts.

Youngsters enjoyed bouncing in several large inflatables set up in the park. Several also took horseback rides on a trio of horses. Others rode Burger King, a dromedary or Arabian camel from the Wild Wilderness Drive-through Safari in Gentry.

A beauty pageant was among the afternoon events and trophies were awarded to both boys and girls in various age groups. One of the most popular divisions was that for the most patriotic costume.

John Estep, of Gravette, set up his karaoke machine and he and several other singers entertained the crowd with musical numbers throughout the day. The Dead Armadillos Band, from Rogers, played music in the gazebo in the afternoon, featuring their playlist of country and Southern rock and roll.

A box full of plastic ducks purchased by entrants in the duck race was carried to the creek in late afternoon. There was little current flowing when the small yellow ducks were dumped into the creek so Maria Guerra and her son Daniel, of Sulphur Springs, and Jose Serna, of Gentry, waded in and churned the water to provide some momentum for the little swimmers. The first duck to reach the finish line earned Heidi Bryan $75. Chris Austin's duck finished second and earned $25, and Braden Sales had the third place finisher and won a $25 gift certificate.

A variety of food offerings were available, including barbecue dinners, tamales, hot dogs and hamburgers. A vendor selling homemade ice cream sold out of most flavors, but several folks won desserts in the cake walk sponsored by the Friendly Neighbors Club. Winners of that event were able to choose from homemade cookies and muffins, pies, cakes and gooey bars. Another vendor sold watermelons and cantaloupes, homegrown tomatoes and squash.

A watermelon eating contest was held in early evening and the winner, Christopher Preston, won his choice of watermelons from the trailer.

Although a formal lighting ceremony was held several months ago, the vintage lights on the Sulphur Springs bridge were reilluminated just before the fireworks display. The annual fireworks show was held just after dark and a street dance which followed concluded the evening.

Community on 06/29/2016