RUMFORD – Twenty patriotic pictures created in colorful chalk decorated the sidewalks of Congress Street while the beat of bands ranging from heavy rock to country played on Exchange Street and at Memorial Park.
Children played ring toss or had a chance to ride on “Jack” the donkey from Peru.
Vendors selling everything from Maine-made jams and jellies, to quilts for colder days and earrings for dainty lobes lined both sides of the street.
Hundreds of people turned out for a family-oriented Fourth of July celebration under the most perfect of skies and temperatures. A slight breeze made a comfortable atmosphere in the sparkling, hot sun. Not a cloud could be seen.
At midday, a sprinkler was turned on at the foot of Congress Street, and tiny tots had a chance to splash and play and cool off.
Their parents and grandparents were busy looking over nearly three dozen antique cars lining River Street, or another dozen motorcycles lining Canal Street.
Among them were Fran and Harry Burns, Rumford, with their spit-polished 1928 black Plymouth sedan.
“We take it to car shows all over the state,” said Harry Burns. “Sometimes we go to other states, including Ohio.”
Down the street were Richard Duka and his 13-year-old son, Matt, of Hanover, who were looking over a shiny purple 1956 Ford pickup truck. They agreed it was a beauty.
Richard has plans for a 1952 Ford sedan, but he estimated it would take him about two years, with the help of his son, to get it in peak shape like the purple pickup.
A dozen or so teens took turns being dunked in a water tank when some lucky hurler hit the mark. All proceeds went toward helping to pay the expenses of the Moontide Water Festival.
“I just want to help out,” said Kim Weeks, 16, who splashed into the water for the umpteenth time.
Along with music at Memorial Park were goats, sheep, cattle, a donkey, a few cuddly rabbits, and a horse, all part of Lane’s Barnyard Petting Zoo out of New Vineyard. Rebecca Wright, 7, of Dixfield, loved patting an alpine/pygmy goat cross, while others took turns petting the sheep.
Ernest Lane, along with his brother, Martin, operate a Jersey and shorthorn dairy herd in New Vineyard. To supplement the farming operation, Ernest and his wife, Melinda, travel to agricultural fairs and festivals with some people-friendly farm animals.
“These are all pets,” he said of the docile animals enjoyed by both youngsters and adults. “A lot of people don’t know about farm animals.”
Justin White, a sixth-grader from Rumford, beat out eight other contestants to win the ice cream-eating contest. He wolfed down five bowls of vanilla ice cream in 4.5 minutes and didn’t get an ice cream headache. Carl Hill, a middle-schooler from Pittsfield whose family is originally from Mexico, won first, second and third for his Hot Wheels, while Mountain Valley High School junior Serene Burt took first in the sidewalk art show with her creation of a flag, eagle and the Washington Monument. Chris De Filipp, a seventh-grader from Scarborough whose father lives in Mexico, took first in the under grade nine contest.
It was his lucky day, he said. Earlier, he won a $5 gift certificate in the fishing derby held on the banks of the Androscoggin River.
A parade and concert by the 195th Army Maine National Guard Band, and a fireworks display with thousands in attendance capped off the day.
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