Plenty of fun in Plains
June 6, 2019
The competitions of Plains Days weren't restricted to the high school or sports complex. There were individual contests in downtown Plains and one got quite messy - the annual watermelon eating contest, sponsored by the Plains Lions Club and the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District.
Much of the watermelon remnants were strewn across the folding table and on the ground, but a good portion did make it into the mouths of the 14 participants of the youth divisions, where Emmy Russell, 7, nabbed top honors in the 9 and under category and Jim Hanson, 13, finished first in the 10-17-year-old class. But the real crowd pleaser was the main event, the fire chief versus fire chief. James Russell, who heads the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District and winner of the 2017 contest, went mouth to mouth against Anthony Young, Town of Plains Volunteer Fire Department chief. Within three minutes, judge Chuck Wassinger proclaimed Young the victor.
The festival began with the annual Plains Days 5K at MTWest Dentist, where Andrew Ordelheide of Plains was first to finish at 20 minutes and 16 seconds. The first female to complete the race was 13-year-old Claire Wrobleski of Plains at 20:31, the third runner across the finish line and only 13 seconds behind her brother, Martin, 15 years old. The first 12 and under to finish the run was Plains resident Kalen Ercanerack, 11, at 24:13.
Fifty-six runners participated in the race from 2-year-old Amelia Heward, who did much of the race in a wagon, to Marge Kohm, 74. The race route was laid out by Casey Thompson, one of the coaches of the Mini Mermaid and Young Triton Running Club. The run, sponsored by the club, was free, but they received $42 in donations, said race coordinator and Mermaid coach Gena Ferlan, who said they had 23 kids in the race, the most they've ever had.
The other racing competition was not as fast paced, but drew a big crowd nonetheless. Forty kids took part in the Rocky Mountain Bank Turtle Races in the bank parking lot. Hannah Heward, 10, of Kalispell took heat one. In the second heat, 7-year-old Plains resident Addy Revier's turtle won. Lacey Kulawinski, 6, of Plains won heat three, followed by the turtle of 11-month-old Maverick French of Paradise in heat four. Heat five was taken by Shawn O'Keefe, 12, of Plains. Claire Wrobleski took heat 5 and Karissa French, 8, of Plains was the winner of heat six.
In the championship round, Kulawinski took top honors and the $15 first place prize. Karissa French finished second and won $10, followed by Addy Revier in third, winning $5. The winner of each heat was awarded $5, said Erika Carter, race coordinator.
"It was a nice Plains Day," said Alvin Amundson, one of the creators of the annual festival, which began in 1962 by the name of Donkey Derby Days. With the addition of the sports activities at the school and Amundson Sports Complex, festival organizers made the three-day event Plains Days.
"I saw so many people I hadn't seen in a long time," said Amundson, who has lived in Missoula the last seven years and has missed attending the festival only once. Amundson was especially pleased with the parade, which had 47 registered entries and around 150 people and animals in it. The parade this year was coordinated by Nita Deardorff, the Plains Post Office postmaster. The parade started earlier this year, stepping off at 10:30 a.m. just after judging by Dede Steinebach, Katie Gonce, and Chelsea Deardorff.
The winners are as follows: Best Creation - South Side Sparks 4-H Club; Best Business - American Legion; Best Youth - Farmers Union; Best Float - Camp Bighorn; Best Theme - Farmers Insurance; Best Animal - Garden, Gift & Floral. Deardorff said there was one more category, but didn't recall what it was or who won.
"I was impressed with the variety and the work people did on their entries in the parade, and I was so glad we had that many people in the parade," said Nita Deardorff. Retired Army First Sgt. Don Kunzer, a Vietnam War veteran, was the grand marshal. Kunzer retired in 2010, but donned his uniform for his ride in a Vietnam era Jeep on loan from the Miracle of America Museum in Polson. Color guards from the American Legions of Post 52 of Thompson Falls and Post 129 of Paradise led the Parade this year to celebrate the Legion's 100th anniversary. Post 129 marks its 70th anniversary this year.
The parade had some first time units this year. The Sanders County Arts Council members carried tools of the trade, including a 12-foot pen and an eight-foot microphone. Representing Garden, Gift & Floral was Lenka Harris, her two daughters, Layla and Ceci and their Saint Bernard, "Pippy."
A dozen fire trucks and ambulances sounded off throughout the route with the Forest Service's Smoky Bear giving hugs along the way. Eleven-month-old Maverick French was the youngest "driver" of the parade, though his little vehicle was remotely driven by his mother, Melissa. For the first time, entertainers of the Dance Xplosion of Thompson Falls performed in the parade. To beef up patriotism, Dan and Pat Johnson handed out 200 American flags to parade goers along the route.
Deardorff also organized free airplane rides for kids. Four pilots, two from Kalispell, her husband Dallas and Dan Normandeau of Thompson Falls spent five hours giving rides to 51 kids to Thompson Falls and back to the Plains airport. The rides were sponsored by the Sanders County Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association of Kalispell.
Competition continued in the parking lot of MTWest Dentist with the Plains Days Show 'n' Shine Car Show, sponsored by Rehbein Ford. Thirty-six vehicles from a 1926 Ford Model T car by Tom Nye of Hamilton to a 2014 Ford Mustang by Cliff and Kathy Bailey of Corvallis were at the show. Gary and Shelly Backus of Thompson Falls swept the People's Choice Award with their 1953 Oldsmobile Super 88 Rocket. "Overwhelmingly, it was the best car. Everyone voted for it," said Todd Logan, show coordinator.
This is the first year that the show was moved from the greenway to MTWest Dentist, which Logan said gives them more room and was better for the low riding vehicles. Logan said he appreciated that Andrew and Elizabeth Ordelheide allowed the usage of the parking lot for the show. Ken Saner, who helped with the show, had four vehicles and a chopper in the show, including a 1926 rat rod. The winner of the 1949 to 1972 class was Linda Richards of Hamilton with a 1950 Chevy sedan. In the camper class, Rick and Ruthie Smith of Corvallis won with a homemade camper. Dale Bangert of Hamilton took the truck category with a 1954 GMC. The Best in Show went to Rick Bullock of Plains and his 1970 Chevy Nova SS.
Much of the festival took place along the greenway, where the Plains Lions Club had their dunk tank set up. Lions Club Vice President Steve Spurr said they had several people sign up to be dunked, including three youngsters. Meg Collett, 12, bought a ticket and then switched with the person in the dunk tank just to get cooled off.
A dozen vendors took part in the festival, but not all had a front row seat spot. Sisters Emily, 13, Katelyn, 11, and Grace Subatch, 9, set up their Wildhorse Bakery lemonade stand on West Lynch. Paradise resident Bobby Mayes set up his giant antique stationary hay bailer on the greenway, along with his pitcher pump, which would never go out of water no matter how much a person pumped.
More than 40 people participated in the Sanders County Arts Council's Art in the Park painting project designed to spark interest in the arts, said Lisa Eberhardt, who coordinated the project with her husband, Steve. Throughout the day, kids and adults popped in to add to the two 4X8-foot boards. Steve Eberhardt created the outline and assisted the amateur artists. "We're doing this to promote the arts and help everyone find their inner artist," said Lisa, who said the boards will go on display at the Paradise Center.
"It turned out a lot better that I even expected," said Matt Jaramillo, who took over as the Plains Days coordinator this year. He said the festival drew a lot of people from outside Sanders County, including people who had been just passing through town. He had wanted to get some new activities for the festival, but they didn't pan out.
Jaramillo helped to wrap up this year's festival by serving as DJ for the community dance, which took place Saturday evening at MTWest Dentist. Around 75 people, mostly teens, showed up for the dance. Alexander Branco of Plains also took part by playing contemporary music on a keyboard.
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