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Red, white and blue extravaganza
The music rang out across the hills as one of the state's largest fireworks shows exploded overhead as Mountain Home observed Independence Day on Friday.
Across the community, the patriotic spirit came alive that day as households across town displayed American flags in their yards or on their houses.
Events in Carl Miller Park launched the city's main Fourth of July festivities as the El-Whyee Business Association hosted its annual Fourth of July Festival in the Park. Organizers reported larger crowds compared to previous years with an estimated 5,000 people gathering in the park throughout the day.
"The day revolved around having fun," said Bill Bamber, president of the local business association.
The number of booths were also up this year with more than a dozen vendors. Some sold trinkets and refreshments while non-profit groups had set up information booths.
While in the park, people entered raffles and other prize drawings at these booths. Among the featured prizes were a pair of motorcycle helmets painted by local artists; each one featuring patriot designs. Together, the helmet fundraiser brought in $800 to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.
As local musicians performed on stage at the front of the park, people like Irene Heckathorne were busy preparing for this year's "Wash and Shine" car show. Using a special cloth, she put a final bit of polish on her 1965 Buick Skylark.
It was an anniversary gift from her husband, Willy Heckathorne, who spent the past four years restoring the vintage car.
"It's a beautiful day today, knock on wood," Heckathorne said as she commented on the weather. "The wind's blowing just enough to keep it cool."
Car show organizers presented 15 awards for the top vehicles. While Leonard Oltman won the best-of-show honor for his 1979 Chevy Corvette, it was Gage Miller that won a new title at this year's show. He earned the "car with most personality" for his life-sized version of Tow Mater, the lovable Disney character from the "Cars" movie series.
While most people attending the Independence Day celebration had to travel just a few blocks to reach the park, June Goodson had come all the way from Norfolk, England. She was on vacation visiting her sister in Mountain Home.
"I came here last year, and it was so good that I came again this year," Goodson said.
While she had tasted a number of foods unique to the United States, Friday was the first time she had ever sampled funnel cakes.
"I've never had funnel cake before. It's absolutely gorgeous," she said.
Nearby, the Espino family marked their first Fourth of July in Idaho. They had moved from California to their new home in Glenns Ferry nearly a year ago.
According to Heather Espino, it was a chance for their children, Annalicia and Ellena, to have fun while getting into the patriot spirit.
Among the day's main highlights was the Little Miss El-Whyee Pageant, which drew more than 35 contestants, including a number of preschoolers. As each contest stepped into the spotlight -- a few of them showing signs of stage fright -- these young girls offered a glimpse of their talent. A few chose to sing while others demonstrated their dance moves.
Among this year's contests was Hazel Ingrum, who took a few cues from her mother as she sang the Air Force song. Meanwhile, Shelby Lundberg, who at just one year old represented some of the youngest competitors, imitated the sounds of different animals.
According to Jessica Smith, who organizes the event, each of these young girls come away as winners. These contestants received various prizes just for participating.
As the festival in the park continued throughout the afternoon, city fire fighters were busy preparing for the evening's fireworks finale. At a cost of $29,000, the event represented one of the largest fireworks shows in the state -- second only to Pocatello, said city fire marshal Brian Reed.
An effort by the Streetwalkers -- a team that goes door to door each spring requesting donations -- collected $15,747 to benefit this year's show, said Vickie Bermensolo, a spokesperson with the team.
"Without the community's support, we couldn't have raised that $29,000," the fire chief said. "It's the entire community that brings this all together."
This year's fireworks display marked the third time that seating at the city golf course allowed people to get closer to the action. With blankets and chairs positioned in strategic vantage points, seating this year included the entire front nine, including the seventh fairway near the canal that separates the front and back nine holes.
In previous years, the crowd line was restricted to the first fairway next to North 18th East Street. However, a review of local safety guidance in recent years emphasized that people could get closer to the show while remaining well clear of the safety perimeter established around the launch site.
Attendance at the city golf course remained at record highs, the fire chief said. In addition, heavy crowds had parked their vehicles in available places around the show site, including the local Wal-Mart, Pilot service station and the Industrial Park areas.
The Independence Day holiday remained a fairly safe event with the city handling only two small calls related to fires sparked by fireworks, the fire chief said.