Saturday night’s supermoon brought out some super — and strange — creatures for the sixth annual Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run for Your Life.
Over the years, the Charley Melvin has settled into a night that caters to the young, if not in years, then at heart.
Its signature 12:26 a.m. walk/run drew an estimated 750 participants. That’s 750 who otherwise would be presumably snug in their beds instead of parading Iola’s streets, some dressed in costumes to celebrate the festive occasion, others out to seriously compete.
Brock Artis, star athlete at Allen Community College, won the 3.1-mile race in 17.04 minutes. The Tulsa, Okla., native runs cross country and track at ACC.
Most of the participants walked the shorter 1.8-mile distance. Some brought their four-legged friends; others had their babies in strollers.
Building up to the signature event was the parade of lights and the drag race.
Once the sun set, more than 100 children participated in the parade of lights.
Illuminated tiaras, necklaces and wristbands adorned the children while the spokes on their bicycles glittered with glow-in-the-dark sticks as they pedaled through the downtown square. Several illuminated floats anchored the parade.
Men left their inhibitions on the curbside for the annual drag race. Dressed in feminine attire, about 15 men competed in a relay in which they exchanged garters at the completion of each lap.
Brian Hu, 19, a foreign exchange student from Taiwan, won the esteemed race earning the title of drag queen.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS included food booths, inflatable slides, a makeup booth, carnival games, helicopter rides and live entertainment.
