A perfect Farm-City celebration

Saturday dawned crisp and clear, with balmy weather to follow — perfect conditions for capping Iola’s 41st annual Farm-City Days.
“It was 39 degrees when we got up this morning (before dawn) to get the booth ready,” said Keith Locke of Iola’s Trinity United Methodist Church spot where baked concessions were sold.
By 8 a.m., it was in the mid-40s for the start of the 5K run sponsored by Iola’s Relay for Life. Though runners were few, organizers hope to make the run through Iola streets a tradition.
By early afternoon, a crowd several people deep lined the 10-block route of the Farm-City Days parade.
Bands, floats, farm equipment, cars old and new and other entries made the procession one of the best yet and drew continual cheers from spectators.
The festival was much more than just the parade.
Vendors, selling a variety of things, offering advice, demonstrating crafts and currying favor with voters, were set up on the courthouse lawn and by the time the temperature climbed to shirt-sleeve weather, all were busy.
Food available in the booths was as varied as the number of concessionaires. Polish sausage, walking tacos (made in a bag of chips), homemade pie and other typical fare drew lines.
A tug-of-war with a different twist engaged spectators on Washington Avenue. The tuggers pulled a large farm tractor from one line marked on the pavement to another and were timed to determine winners.
When asked how his team did, Dale Daniels, a Humboldt area farmer, said he thought “we’re in fourth place, but we’re going to try again. We were one man short the first time.”
A new feature this year was hay bales strung south of the courthouse and decorated by businesses and groups.
 One, featuring a big sunflower and small garden enclosed by a picket fence, thanked those who came for “visiting Iola.” The Allen County Sheriff’s Department emphasized DEAD in a spooky message: “Don’t Text and Drive.”
The carnival, set up on two blocks of Jackson Avenue, was busy throughout the day, after having had to brave cool, crowd-limiting temperature in nights leading up to Saturday.

RON BROWN was typical of vendors. He said sales were slow early but increased with the temperature.
He farmed all his life until retiring 10 years ago from a grain and cattle operation two miles south of Hiattville.
Brown offered pumpkins, squash and gourds, mostly for decorative purposes. They came from six acres of his expansive garden, from which he harvests vegetables all year to sell at Fort Scott’s farmers market.
That Brown, 70, had so much on display seemed to run counter to growing conditions affected by this summer’s drought.
“I got one three-inch rain that no one else got and it pretty well set on the pumpkins and squash,” he said of his 80 varieties, including many with unusual markings.
“That’s how I got started,” he added. “I saw an unusual-looking gourd and thought, ‘I can grow those.’”
Iolan Steve Traw had several rows of bird houses and squirrel feeders hanging from a frame, with the inventory decreasing every few minutes from bypassers unable to resist making a purchase.
Music also was a part of the celebration.
School and adult groups entertained festival-goers on the courthouse lawn. Rock music — sometimes loud enough to rock nearby buildings — greeted those wandering among car show entries.

PREPARATIONS for the annual Farm-City Days had a slow start. For a short time there was some question whether enough volunteers would surface to pull it off.
However, plans evolved and many people who hadn’t been involved before answered the call. No one could argue that what they put together wasn’t dandy fine, one of the best events yet.
Gwen Tefft was among those who stepped forward.
“I’ve never driven one of these before,” Tefft said as they steered an electric cart on South Washington, helping to get the parade organized.
“Beep! Beep!” she yelled to alert unaware folks of the approach of the cart.
“This is a lot of fun,” she added.
And, that pretty well summed up what Farm-City Days was this year, just as it has been in the past: a lot of fun for everyone involved.