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Crazee Daze draws big crowds
It was a warm and breezy day on Saturday, May 19, perfect for being "crazy for the red, white and blue," this year's Crazee Daze theme.
The day kicked off with the Optimist Cheerleaders at 11 a.m. They performed on the stage located on East 2nd North Street near the Chamber of Commerce.
After three invigorating performances by the cheerleaders the Mountain Home Air Force Base Honor Guard, consisting of Senior Airman Albert Pierce and Senor Airman Dagoberto Ramirez, participated in a flag ceremony in honor of Armed Forces Day. They presented the flag to Councilman Tom Rist who said that, "On behalf of the mayor, city council and city of Mountain Home, I would like to thank the Mountain Home Air Force Base Honor Guard for presenting us with the flag. Thank you."
The Maurice's red, white and blue fashion show followed the flag ceremony. Teenage models strutted their stuff on the runway in red, white and blue fashions. The models threw candy and beaded necklaces to the audience.
At noon the contests began with a bubble gum blowing contest sponsored by Paul's at Cherished Memories. Onlookers were giving the ten plus contestants advice like, "chew it (the bubble gum) real good before you try to blow a bubble." There were two age categories. In the 11 and under category, Nevin Grodin took first place followed by Katlin Carter in second and Patricia Rogers in third place. In the 12 and over category, Brooke Oliver took first place over her steep competition of no one. Each of the winners received a certificate and Chamber bucks that are good at participating merchants in town.
From there, the pet costume contest sponsored by Canine Corral took place at the Idaho Youth Range with eight dog contestants: Yogi, the Hawaiian pooch; Scribbles, the BSU fan; Shy, the Lakers fan; Hobbs, the Crazee Pup; Cliffy, the All-American Pup; Penny, the cowgirl; Toodlers, the hot pink teacup poodle and Milk Bone the Rapper Dog.
Taking first place was Hobbs. He wowed the judges with his tricks. He could sit, lay down and roll over. Coming in second place was Toodles and third place went to Milk Bone the Rapper Dog. Again, all winners received certificates and Chamber bucks.
The winners of the Merchants Theme Contest were, in first place, Stoecker Jewelers, followed by Hedda's Gifts with Next to New in third place. Judging was based on implementation of theme, originality, complexity of costume and creativity.
The musical entertainment kicked off at 1 p.m. on the Chamber stage with Rockin' Rod who entertained the crowd with his guitar playing abilities. "Rattlesnake Creek" followed Rod's performance.
Then young ladies and gentlemen from the ECHO Folkloric Dancers, dressed in brightly colored authentic garb took the stage and had the audience's full attention. They attracted a large crowd when they began dancing a little after 2:30 p.m.
Aside from the scheduled activities there were events happening all day long. One of the biggest events was the Royal West Carnival at Railroad Park. The carnival had many rides and prize booths for all ages. There was a ride called the Kamikaze for the older crowd. It swung back and forth and went upside down giving riders a thrill. Children rode the motorcycle ride. They sat in their own motorcycle as the ride went round and round. The children could also win prizes by catching ducks in a little pond, and the older crowd could throw darts at balloons for a chance to win prizes.
Another all-day event was the Army National Guard's Bradley IFV. Staff Sgt. Darin J. Henecke, recruiting and retention NCO said, "it's something tangible. The Air Force does flyovers, but this is something the kids can touch and take pictures of."
The Mountain Home Fire Department also held all-day activities. Three of their trucks were positioned in the streets as well as firefighters who were collecting donations in their boots. The donations were for the fireworks display that the Fire Department puts on each Fourth of July. They also had a booth where they grilled hot dogs and chorizos for donations.
Vendor booths were set-up throughout the downtown area and offered a variety of options to those attending Crazee Daze. There were many types of booths from agriculture to art to food.
The Agri-Business Coalition's booth featured a display board with dairy and wheat facts along with other information and samples of agriculture products on display in jars and baskets. The samples included sugar, molasses, pulp shreds and more.
The Agri-Business Coalition is a group that formed a couple of years ago to promote agriculture because so many people don't know about the agriculture in Mountain Home, said Stephanie Bergh. "In Elmore County there is nearly a $300 million impact county wide," said Dave Bergh, the chairman of the Agri-Business Coalition.
Located next to them was the Optimist Agriculture Program booth that included a petting zoo. The animals in the zoo were those that the kids (those involved in the program) show at fairs, said John Bideganeta. The animals included sheep, goats, a horse and ducks. The Optimist Agriculture Program was raising funds to support their youth by taking pictures of people with an animal in the zoo.
At AART's ceramics booth people could paint ceramic items there and take the item with them when they were completed. Amber Wright, an Artopian student, sold chili dogs to help raise money for her trip to Paris this summer.
Heather and Mark Freber, owners of The Fresh Spice Market out of Post Falls, sold hand-made jewelry, spices and jams at their booth. "We come down to visit my sister and participate in Crazee Daze," said Heather.
Many of the booths provided food and beverages. The 366th Medical Group Booster Club was serving chicken plates, and Cajun Southern located next to the stage by Chamber sold "well-seasoned Cajun food, " said Henry Commenia, coordinator. "We just do fairs and festivals." They have participated in Crazee Daze for about four years now. One of the participants of Cajun Southern was Robert Jackio, the prep cook at AJ's Restaurant and Lounge. He said the food is "finger lickin' good."
Other booth sponsors included Elmore Medical Center, Mountain Home Police Cadets, Relay for Life, MHHS Alumni, 366th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Booster Club, MHHS Cheer, Mountain Home Civil Air Patrol Cadet Squadron and Cam 8 along with many more.
Crazee Daze had something for everyone whether it was food, rides, games, entertainment or just being outside on a nice day.
Additional pictures from Crazee Daze are posted in the photo gallery -- http://www.mountainhomenews.com/gallery/1762/