A total of 76 runners and walkers — and a pair of four-legged friends — took part in the Dixie Day Dash 5K race, which started at 8 a.m. on Saturday July 30 from the North Webster Community Center.
By Ray Balogh
News without ink
NORTH WEBSTER – The 2022 Dixie Day Festival was, by all accounts, a gratifying success.
On Saturday, July 30, throughout the event’s six-hour opening, the city was swarming with revelers browsing and frequenting the myriad food and arts and crafts stalls that lined both sides of West Washington Street. , from Main Street to the fairgrounds.
Attendees also strolled among the canopy vendors crammed across the expanse of Pilcher Lawn.
Friends of the North Webster Library held a book sale outside the library, and the parking lot north of Washington Street was also filled with vendors.
The fairgrounds hosted over 50 attendees of the popular annual auto show.
Several residents added their personal garage sales to the fray and, as the saying goes, all had a great time.
The festival, presented by the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce, began with the Dixie Day Dash 5K run/walk. Attendees gathered at the North Webster Community Center and descended in droves at 8 a.m., led by My Team Triumph ‘angels’ with ‘Captain’ Kayla Dove.
“We provide endurance opportunities for anyone who cannot participate on their own,” said Donna Moudy, who along with fellow volunteer Rachel Hardy escorted Dove along the course.
The list of participants included a handful of septuagenarians, including Paula Johnson of Punta Groda, Florida, who celebrated her 70th birthday on Saturday by offering her first effort of 5 km. The youngest rider was Graysen Shipley, 8; the oldest was Dewain Cobbs, who turned 80 on July 15.
Winners of the 5,000km overall and by age group, with their hometowns and times:
Men’s Open: Aaron Hendryx, Huntington, 15:33.31
Women’s Open: Jody Brown, Plymouth, 21:32.29
Men 2-12: Graysen Shipley, 8, Warsaw, 26:10.34
Female 2-12, Candice Stoffel, 12, Kimmell, 26:00.94
Men 13-19: Clark Meridew, 15, Warsaw, 18:49.67
Female 13-19: Mary Saylor, 17, Niles, Michigan, 23:30.32
Men 20-24: Austin Liepe, City of Rome, 15: 49.94
Women 20-24: Carmen Trier, Huntington, 22: 42.62
Male 25-29: Daniel Messenger, Huntington, 22:32.27
Female 25-29: Daisha Dove, South Whitley, time not available
Men 30-34: Nicholas Lavelle, Warsaw, 32:55.07
Women 30-34: Chelsey Willsey, Mishawaka, 33: 05.58
Men’s 35-39: Justin Kowalski, South Bend, 15:46.36
Women 35-39: Andrea Randall, Noblesville, 25:50.84
Male 40-44: Jerid Stoffel, Kimmell, 22:11.54
Women 40-44: Sarah Saylor, Niles, Mich., 22:42.93
Men 45-49: Scott Miller, Warsaw, 29:01.65
Woman 45-49: Amy Kuhn, Syracuse, 21:37.18
Male 50-54: Todd Bailey, Argos, 21:42.70
Women 50-54: Lisa Kainer, West Chicago, IL, 35:00.07
Male 55-59: Rich Rhodes, Milford, 25:31.74
Women 55-59: Deanna Hammons, Winamac, 40:08.73
Male 60-64: David Dodd, Gulfport, Mississippi, 19:59.90
Women 60-64: Stephanie Coppolino, Fort Wayne, 38:09.97
Male 65-69: Jay Prichard, Van Wert, Ohio, 26:34.84
Woman 65-69: Kathy Woodsmall, Bristol, 46:19.00
Male 70+: Dewain Cobbs, Warsaw, 26:56.91
Female 70+: Morningsun Kelly, Culver, 43:59.99
The rest of the festival attractions started at 10 a.m., with one exception. The Friends of the Library book sale opened half an hour early, as an enthusiastic crowd had already gathered when library volunteers began displaying the hardcover and paperback books, tabletop books bass, cookbooks, DVDs, CDs, puzzles and other donated items. at 9.30 a.m.
“It was probably the best sale we’ve had in quite a while,” said FOL member Juanita Robinett.
Chamber of Commerce board member Chris Trowbridge was delighted with the success of the motor show. “We had good turnout with a wide variety of vehicles,” he said. “It was a great day for him.”
The classic inventory of the day included half a dozen King Midgets, single-seat “runabouts” powered by engines ranging from 7 1/2 to 18 horsepower. About 5,000 of these were produced from 1946 to 1970 and only about 1,500 remain. The two-speed engine (one forward, one reverse) produced about 40 mpg with a top speed of about 60mph.
The oldest vehicle was a 1922 Studebaker and participants came from various Hoosier municipalities including Warsaw, Cromwell, Elkhart, Wakarusa, Ligonier, Columbia City, LaOtto and Jalapa.
Many festival dishes were available along Washington Street and at local restaurants. The Rotary Club of Syracuse-Webster sold Nelson’s Chicken and Pit-Tatoes and other vendors offered a variety of entrees, such as burgers, burgers, hot dogs, sausages, sandwiches grilled pork, pizzas, shrimp skewers, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, sundaes and popcorn.
The festival ended at 4 p.m., with many attendees wishing it would go on for much longer.
Another article on Dixie Day will appear in the Wednesday August 3 edition of the Mail-Journal.
Here are some of the sites of the day’s festivities. Photos by Ray Balogh.
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The Friends of the Library held a book sale outside the North Webster Library. The inventory included books, DVDs, CDs and puzzles.
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Two North Webster police officers chat with a participant while others line up to sample their favorite food at the Dixie Day Festival.
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Six King Midget cars, vintage 1952 to 1968, were on display at the motor show, which took place on the fairgrounds.
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Great nautical-themed artwork was on display at one of the vendors on Pilcher’s Lawn.
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A quintet of siblings and friends traveled from Ligonier and Columbia City to attend Dixie Day. Shown, clockwise, are Steve Hursey, Esther Harlan, Ray Mullins and brothers Mike and John Harlan.
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Mike and Sherry Caverley of Warsaw follow the tenet “If you got it, flaunt it,” highlighting their 1977 Mercury Cougar station wagon with a metal sign and announcing the cubic foot size of the engine with a “557” marquee. They spent seven years “changing everything” on the “rusted and destroyed” vehicle.
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2-year-old Lucy Hogan couldn’t resist getting closer to the glistening Bahama Blue Chevrolet two-door sedan owned by Marvin Galbreath of Syracuse. Lucy is the daughter of Dan and Cortney Hogan of Fort Wayne.
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A vendor’s wares in front of Pilchers look good enough to eat. This would be inadvisable, however, as the items are handmade soaps.
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The parking lot north of Washington Street was filled with vendors and customers. The day was perfect for outdoor antiques and crafts.
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‘Captain’ Kayla Dove is driven by ‘angels’ Rachel Hardy, left, and Donna Moudy of My Team Triumph, a non-profit organization in Warsaw that ‘provides endurance opportunities for anyone who cannot not participate alone.
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Aaron Hendryx, 22, of Huntington, finished first overall in the Dixie Day Dash 5K with a time of 15:33.31.
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It was a family affair as 9-month-old Phoebe Shull was escorted by her “honorary uncle” John Ruiz (stroller pusher), accompanied by her grandparents Rebecca (441) and Jason (442) Shull and her aunt Sandy Ruiz.
