advertisement:
The sun continued to shine down on Markle’s “Luau on the Wabash” over the weekend.
Opening up the Saturday activities was the annual “Wildcat Parade.” Floats in the parade were judged by the Four Grouches (Mark Hamilton, Dawn Eppard, Moose Jeffers and Andy Marshall), who were crowned on Friday evening.
The Grouches were given special treat by the Riverview Raiders school band, comprising 70 members from the 6th, 7th and 8th grades, who brought the parade to a halt while they gave a special “on the spot” performance for the Grouches. The Raiders were rewarded for their performance with the award for “Best Band” in the parade.
Musical entertainment continued throughout Saturday on the main stage at the park, and again it was the younger talent who shone. The 7th and 8th graders from the Kekionga Steel Drumz in Fort Wayne played a mix of well-known tunes dating back to the 1950s in the early afternoon, while last year’s “Princess Wildcat,” Tiffany Street, a junior at Huntington North, played classical guitar later in the afternoon.
The “Battle of the Bands” took over the stage on Saturday evening. At the time of writing, the names of the winning bands had not yet been received.
The competitions for the youngest age groups again proved popular. The “under-2’s” make “unpredictable” contestants, and anything can happen in the “Diaper Derby,” “Tower Building” and “Egg Transfer” races.
This category belonged to the women however, with only Garrett Yohe’s “Cutest Smile” preventing a clean sweep by the girls.
The lawn mower races were expected to be a highlight of Saturday afternoon, however only four contestants entered the event, due apparently to another event in Ohio.
Basketball continued throughout Saturday with 3-on-3 competitions in progress.
Helicopter rides were also available on Saturday at the softball diamond, and a special sand sculpture was created throughout Saturday and Sunday at the Markle Pool.
Contest winners from Saturday included:
Parade Competitions:
Best Business Float: Welches All Vehicle Repair
Best Animal: Waggin’ Tails 4-H Club
Best Band: Riverview Raiders
Best Depiction of Theme: Markle Church of Christ
Best Family or Church: Karing For Kids
Best Antique/Classic Car/Truck: Monty McFerren
Best Farm Equipment: Bevan Best (1952 Ford Tractor with V-8 engine)
Children’s Competitions:
Cutest Smile (0-6 months): Garrett Yohe.
Diaper Derby (0-12 months): Mariah Waters.
Tower Building (12-18 months): Mylia Horner
Egg Transfer (18-24 months): Kayda Newman
Other results were not yet available at press time.
by FRANK SHANLY
frank@news-banner.com
Read this story in our E-Edition, Click Here
Talk about this story in our forums!