Web posted
Saturday, October 25, 2008
A view from the sidelines
By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
reporter@arkcity.net
Arkalalah has participants and supporters from the sidelines. One of those content to be on the sidelines Friday afternoon was Larry Grose, former head men's tennis coach at Cowley College who grew up in Arkansas City.
"I paid my dues; now I'll watch from the sidelines," said Grose, when asked if he would be participating in any events this year.
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Other supporters included Jim Ramirez, owner of Alumni Grill and Bar, who watched as his grandson competed in this year's Little Miss and Mister Arkalalah contest. A smiling Haden O'Toole, won first runner-up.
"He's happy no matter what because he gets to ride on a float," Ramirez said.
The 2008 Little Miss and Mister winners were announced Friday afternoon on the parade viewing stand at Fifth Avenue and Summit Street. This year's Little Mister is Traven Hutton and Little Miss is Kenzie Kuhn. The second runners-up were Jasa Lightsey and Coleton Trillo. The first runners-up were Haden O'Toole and Karmen Palmer.
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Earlier Friday, about an hour before the 2 p.m. Little Miss and Mister contest, two women walked into Graves Drug Store and showed Jancie Harader the Arkalalah medallion. Harader works and Graves and is head of the Arkalalah medallion contest committee this year.
Amanda Jackson and Rebecca Cravens found the medallion underneath a flower pot in front of the Arkansas City Area Chamber of Commerce office, 106 South Summit St. Jackson and Cravens were awarded a $500 prize for finding the medallion after the fifth written clue to its location was published in The Traveler.
The weather turned a little warmer and the sun came out as the afternoon progressed. Many costumed children marched in the 3 o'clock Kiddies Parade.
USD 470 secretary Reba Pinegar was on the sidelines on Summit and Central Avenue to watch her son play percussion in the high school band. "I'm incognito," she said. Her brothers' children were with her, Lauren, 7; Meghan, 6, and Patrick, 4.
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A block away, enjoying treats near a food stand was Cindy Blevins. She was taking a break from the carnival with her niece, fifth-grader Laken Musson, and her friends sixth-grader Shona Webb and her younger sister Hannah, a fourth-grader.
Shona side she liked the rides and food the best at Arkalalah; Hannah said she liked the rides and the parade; Laken also liked the rides and the food.
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Minutes before the parade began Larry Patten, a 1955 graduate of Arkansas City High School, talked about his day Friday. He said he's had a lot better days, particularly at past Arkalalahs.
Patten is the coordinator of a mass reunion for ACHS grads from any class in the 1950s. The informal get-together will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CornerBank Community Room.
"We usually have a big turnout," Patten said.
But this morning as he tried to fire up his oven to bake cookies for the event, it wouldn't work. Instead, he had to go to a neighbor's house, a 1956 ACHS grad, to do the job.
"So when I finished the cookies I had a flat tire," he said. "I pumped it up and brought it to Becker's to be worked on then walked here."
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Patten said he has fond memories of just about every Arkalalah he's attended. In 1956, the year Kay Winegarner was crowned Queen Alalah 25th, Patten made a formal dress for runner-up Elizabeth Giles, he said. Later, he remade the dress for Elizabeth Giles Smith's wedding.
"Libby's was the first formal for Arkalalah that I made, and I have made a lot, but not in the past 20 years," he said.
Dresses weren't the only homemade elements of Arkalalahs past, he said. The floats were all homemade then. "I miss that."
As Patten finished reminiscing, it was time for the parade. The smaller children marched along with their parents or were pushed in strollers. Many wore costumes and dressed as genies, clowns, princesses and super heroes. One boy wore an Obama mask.
The Miller children were among them. Dawson, 7, dressed as Spiderman, his sister Kaitlyn, 4, was a princess, and brother Blake, 11, wore a martial arts costume.
They said this was not their first time in a children's parade and they enjoyed participating. They also liked the rides at the carnival, including bumper cars, Spider and Sizzler, they said.
Today's schedule
* 5:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Kiwanis Pancake Feed opens, First Street between Central and Fifth Avenues
* 7:30-8:30 a.m. - Registration for Arkalalah Run, 106 S.Summit
* 9 a.m. - Arkalalah 2-mile Run, starts near Summit and Central
* 9 a.m. - Sign-up Doubles Horseshoe-pitching tourney, Sixth Street and Madison Avenue
* 10 a.m. - Horseshoe pitching begins
* 9 a.m.-noon - Burford tours
* 9 a.m. Arkalalah Rec Center Craft Show
* 9 a.m.-10 a.m. - Hands-on Art Activities, Arkansas City Area Arts Council, in front of the Burford Building
* 9:45 a.m. - Check-in for kids' Fun Run for grades K-5
* 10 a.m.-4 p.m. - M.I.L.K.
* 10 a.m. - Presentation of awards for 2-mile Run
* 10 a.m. - Carnival opens
* 10:15 a.m. - Home National Bank Fun Run for elementary students
* 11 a.m. Presentation of good-sport award and fitness grant
* 11 a.m.-1 p.m. - St. Paul United Methodist Church chicken noodle dinner
* 11:15 a.m. - Street Games
* 12:30-6 p.m. - Chamber Refreshment Station
* 2 p.m. - Arkalalah Big Parade, Summit Street, Maple Avenue to Madison
* 4 p.m. - Band and Flag festival, Curry Field
* 5-7 p.m. - Youth rally, Wilson Park, sponsored by Harvest Fellowship
* 8:30 p.m. - Light Show, Curry Field, with the Bulldog band
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