Delavan Fall Festival kicks off   Send a link to a friend

[August 31, 2007]  DELAVAN -- The Delavan Fall Festival runs Friday through Monday in Lake Park.

Something new has been added to the festival this year. A daily attendance prize will be awarded each day at the large pavilion in Lake Park. The winners will be announced at noon on Saturday and Sunday and at 1 p.m. Monday. Prizes have a value of over $50 each day. You must be present to win and a ticket will be required to win. However, it will cost you nothing. The free tickets will be handed out during a period of time from the information booth each day.

Saturday the prizes will include a "fiesta" chip and dip set along with a special hot salsa and chips. A $20 Chili's gift card accompanies this prize. The prize on Sunday will include a wicker picnic set and a five-in-one game set that includes volleyball, badminton and horseshoes. The prize also comes with hot dog-s'mores sticks and a s'mores kit. Monday's prize will be the grand prize of the festival. Stop by the information tent during the weekend to see what the prize will be on Monday.

The medallion hunt for the Delavan Fall Festival is now under way. A large variety of prizes have been obtained for this year's event, with the total value coming to over $1,000. Those prizes and businesses donating their product or service are as follows:

• Basic manicure -- A New You, Morton

• Tree stand -- Big Dog Tree Stands, Morton

• Stuffed La-Z-Boy raccoon -- Martin Furniture, East Peoria

• Two water park passes -- Knights Action Park, Springfield

• One-month membership -- Curves, Morton

• Two Sunday bunches -- Alpine Village Inn Restaurant, Minier

• Golf hat, golf balls and 18-hole round of golf -- Weaver Ridge Golf Course, Peoria

• 10 guest passes to park -- Wildlife Prairie State Park, Peoria

• One-month membership -- Curves, East Peoria

• Two adult and two child passes to zoo -- Peoria Glen Oak Zoo, Peoria

• $15 dinner certificate -- Gil's, Minier

• One-month membership -- Curves, Pekin

• Himalayan salt lamp -- Natural Food Store, Minier

• $50 certificate -- Old Towne Bar & Grill, Delavan

• Two dinner theater tickets and bottle of wine -- Vineyard Hill Prairie Winery, Oakford

• $5 movie passes -- Arlee Theater, Mason City

• Caseyopoly games -- Casey's, Delavan

• Three certificates for large pizzas -- Casey's, Delavan

• Three refillable drink mugs -- Casey's, Delavan

• Three buffet certificates (breakfast, lunch or dinner) for two adults -- Par-a-dice Hotel & Casino, East Peoria

• Two $5 gift certificates -- Bonanza Restaurant, Lincoln

• Certificate for 14-inch pizza -- Guzzardo's Restaurant, Lincoln

• Two $10 gift certificates -- Froggy's Ice Cream, Hopedale

• Two show tickets -- New Salem Country Opry, Petersburg

• $25 gift certificate -- JD's on the Levee, Delavan

• Delavanopoly game -- Delavan Fall Fest, Delavan

• Oil change -- Marc's Auto Service, Delavan

Whoever finds the medallion should turn it in to Judy Teal or call her at 309-256-7888. Weekly clues are announced each Saturday morning at 9 by posting on the Delavan Laundry window and JD's. Clues are also posted at www.delavanfallfestival.com.

Contests

Saturday

Fishing derby

Here is the latest "line" on the fishing derby. Mr. Lessen and his FFA students are excited to oversee this event again this year. It will be at Delavan's Lake Park on Saturday. Registration will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and fishing from 8:30 to 11 a.m. There will be three age groups: 4-6 years, 7-9 years and 10-12 years. Prizes will be awarded after the final weigh-in.

This year's fishing derby is co-sponsored by the city of Delavan and the Delavan Fall Festival. Don't miss out, kids. Come join the fun. Get those rods and reels ready.

The Delavan Fall Festival is proud to announce its second annual bicycle race and road ride. The ride encompasses 23 miles of rolling farm country along the scenic Mackinaw River, with low-use side roads, sag-supported, and water and food stops. Double your miles on a road ride by reversing the route, which is optional. Little Ade's Bicycle Shop will be at the starting line to assist with any individual needs. The race will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, and the road ride will start at 8:15.

This event is sponsored by Camden Chiropractic and Little Ade's Bicycle Shop.

For further information, go to www.delavanfallfestival.com, or if you have any questions, please call 309-244-7224 or 309-642-9252.

The lawn tool canoe race, open to anyone 13 or over, will be at the large lake in Lake Park on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. Two canoes will be racing at the same time, and there must be two people in each canoe.

Trophies will be awarded to the racers with the fastest time over all. All minors must have a parent sign a release form the day of the race. No oars are allowed! Shovels, brooms, hoes, etc. will be provided, and these are the only paddles that can be used. It's challenging, but it's fun. Bring a buddy and show what you're made of.

The fall festival's vegetable and crop contest will be on Saturday. Exhibitors may place their vegetables and grain in the display area beginning at noon. Judging will take place at 1 p.m.

There will again be an entry fee, which will cover as many entries as the exhibitor desires. Only the classes listed below will be judged and eligible for premiums; however, if an exhibitor has another product that would be of interest to the public, he or she is invited to display this, knowing that the product will not be judged. All products must be grown by the entrant. Judging will be based on the quality of the product, as well as being uniform and disease-free. Premiums will be awarded as follows: first place, $8; second place, $4.

Classes in the vegetable category are as follows: 01 -- plate of three red or white potatoes; 02 -- plate of three pumpkins; 03 -- plate of three cucumbers.

Grain classes are as follows: 04 -- tallest stalk of corn with ear attached and cut off even with the ground; 05 -- two stalks of corn with ears attached and cut off at ground level; 06 -- 10 ears of corn (current season '07 corn) displayed on a tray; 07 -- quart of shelled corn in glass jar; 08 -- one bundle of soybeans (five stems with roots cut off); and 09 -- quart of soybeans in a glass jar.

If you have questions, call Janet Zimmer at 309-244-8892.

Sand volleyball will once again be an event of friendly competition at the fall festival. Interest has grown over the last several years, and we are looking forward to another year of great competition for the teams and the fans. This year's coed sand volleyball tournament is a referee-monitored double-elimination tournament and will be on Sunday, with the first game beginning at 9 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

Entry fee is $40 per team. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners. Get your entry in early, as the tournament will be limited to eight teams.

Country Companies Insurance, Eric Jensen, agent, is the sponsor for the sand volleyball tournament.

For entry forms, answers to questions or further information, please contact Stephanie Bright at 309-840-0782.

The talent contest will be at the Lake Park stage on Sunday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Sponsor for this year's talent contest is Moore's Appliances.

There will not be a lip sync contest this year.

Entries are being accepted for the talent contest. Prizes will be awarded in various age categories.

For more information or to enter the talent contest, call Debbie Woiwode at 244-8514. Deadline for entries is Friday.

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The fall festival will include an antique tractor pull. The hot farm stock tractors and the 4x4 truck pulls will take place again this year, based on their popularity the last several years. The events are scheduled for Sunday and Monday at Delavan's Lake Park. Hot farm stockers and 4x4 trucks will pull at 1 p.m. Sunday. Antique tractors will pull at 11 a.m. Monday, with pure farm stock and open classes. Pulling fans won't want to miss these shows!

Caterpillar is sponsor for this year's tractor pull events.

For more information, go to www.delavanfallfestival.com.

Monday

The 32nd annual Delavan Fall Festival 10K road race will be on Monday at 8 a.m.

For more information, go to www.delavanfallfestival.com.

The race is on… the annual duck race that is. The actual race will be Monday afternoon. This event seems to create more interest each year for young and old alike. The Hopedale Medical Complex Delavan Doctor's Office is sponsoring the duck race this year. Delavan Fire Department members assist festival board members with this event each year. The duck race will be in the large lake in Lake Park.

Gail Mitchell, chairman of the event, reports that in preparation for this year's race, all of the ducks have been in for a complete checkup, so they are in great shape for race day. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners, with first place being $200.

A special "ducky" trinket is awarded if you purchase five or more ducks. So buy a duck for each family member and cheer your duck to victory! You may purchase your ducks the entire festival weekend and anytime prior to the festival from any festival board member.

Displays and exhibits at the fall festival will include some antique farm equipment. Antique tractors and other farm equipment from days gone by will be on display.

This is just one more way to acknowledge the contributions that area farmers have made over the years, not only to this agricultural community, but to all of us who enjoy the farm food products that are sitting on the shelves in our grocery stores.

If anyone has antique farm equipment they would be interested in displaying at the festival, please contact Doris Higdon at 309-244-8894 or dorisah@mtco.com.

Again this year, two dinners will be served in conjunction with the fall festival. A whole-hog dinner will be served on Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This dinner will include applesauce, green beans, a drink and pie for dessert.

On Sunday, a walleye dinner will be served from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sides served will be coleslaw, potato salad and baked beans. A choice of two sides will be offered with each dinner, plus a roll, a drink and pie for dessert.

The regular food stand line will be open, with the usual menu available, for those not wanting the full dinner.

If you are interested in helping serve one or both of these dinners, please contact Janet Zimmer at 244-8892.

For more information, please visit www.delavanfallfestival.com.

This year's fall festival community worship service will be led by several Delavan youth. The youth will serve as ushers, offer prayers and lead in other parts of the liturgy. The service will be at the Lake Park amphitheater on Sunday, beginning at 10:45 a.m.

The guest speaker will be Susan Tindall. She grew up in central Illinois, currently resides in Bloomington and has family connections in Delavan. Her father, Rick Tindall, is the pastor of Danvers Presbyterian Church. Susan is currently a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she is beginning her second year of study. She interned at Second Presbyterian Church in Bloomington this summer with the youth

The offering from the community service will go toward the purchase of special fuel-efficient stoves for refugees in Darfur. The women in the refugee camps are forced to leave the camps in search of scarce wood to fuel their cooking fires, and while they are out scavenging for wood, they are vulnerable to many of the atrocities we hear about. Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, however, have designed an extremely fuel-efficient cooking stove, which costs only $30. For $30, a stove will keep a whole family safely in the camps and give them a means to cook their food rations.

The community is invited to come to the park for this community worship service, which is hosted by the Delavan Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Stephen Whittaker is the minister. It is recommended that those attending bring their lawn chairs.

The route for the fall festival parade is pretty simple. All entries for the parade will line up at the school parking lot on South Locust Street. Leaving the school, the parade will go north on Locust to First Street and turn right onto First Street. The parade will continue to Lake Park, at the corner of First and Linden, where it will disband. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. Monday. The theme is "Fiesta in the Park."

As in previous years, to assist in lining up entries, advance registration is encouraged. Please contact Deb Moehring, 309-244-9241, or Cheryl Hawkins, 309-397-2437, to register.

The Delavan Fall Festival has contracted with a new carnival for this year. Jerry Germain Rides and Concessions, from the St. Louis area, will have new and different rides for all ages.

Advance carnival tickets are available at First Farmer's State Bank and Bank Plus until noon Friday. Advance tickets offer the best value, with savings of 30 percent off the regular-priced rides during the festival weekend. Buy advance tickets and save big!

For more information, visit www.delavanfallfestival.com.

Volunteers are needed to move some chairs for the festival. In previous years the soldiers have helped us with the move. Since they have been deployed, we have to line up our own help. Following the festival, the chairs will need to be moved from the park to the armory on Tuesday morning.

If you are interested in volunteering your services, please contact Doris Higdon at 244-8894.

For the most up-to-date information and more details about the festival, go to www.delavanfallfestival.com.

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