Celebrating Lamar Days, the Cowboy Way

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Lamar and area residents celebrated Lamar Days, “The Cowboy Way” with sunny skies and warm temperatures this past weekend.  Despite the absence of a carnival at Willow Creek Park this weekend, there was a healthy attendance for vendors and the various displays showcasing their wares or talents.  Various street vendors were out in force before the 10am parade, along Main Street, displaying their goods to local residents.  Elmer and Freida Roberts were selected as this year’s parade royalty.

Another departure from past traditions this year was a dry land “Ducky Dash” contest, held annually by the Lamar Rotary.  Hundreds of small plastic ducks were usually dropped into the Lamar Canal for the annual race to determine the top three winners.  With the absence of needed water, the Rotary members had youngsters race a short-yard dash at the park to determine which kid would draw for the winners.  The sprinters selected Bill Greathouse from Springfield as the top winner with a $750 prize, Carolyn Yocum of Holly won $500 and third place went to Anthony LaTour who collects $250.  All of the runners got a certificate for roasted corn from the SDS grill at the park on Saturday.  Asked if the dash would be conducted this way in the future, Rotary President, Judy Turpin said, “We’ll have to think about that.  It was a lot easier this way instead of having people get into the canal to retrieve all the ducks after last year’s race.”

Some new attractions were also included in park activities including a chance to ‘walk on water’ with the “Wow Bubbles” adventure, and observers got a chance to watch, and a few participated in the re-enactments put on by Clay Allison and His Gang with several Wild West Shoot-outs.  Project HOPE Coalition member, Byron Hall and his kids displayed their talents with the latest line of yo-yo’s in an afternoon competition.  Dancers of all ages displayed their talents from “All the Right Moves”, car enthusiasts took their time looking over all the fine details of Rod Run Car and Bike Show entries, while people worked up an appetite for all kinds of BBQ from the vendors at the park, from turkey legs, to roast ears of corn and the traditional hot dogs and hamburgers.  The day’s menu included the traditional Lion’s Club Pancake breakfast which drew to a close, just in time for the start of the 10am parade along East Olive and North Main Streets.

Although the vendors had broken down their tents in the park by late Saturday, the activities continued with the Sunday morning Lamar Days Poker Run, sponsored by El Shaddai Warriors Motorcycle Club.  The weatherman cooperated for the activities with another day of sun and cooler temperatures to kick off the 8am ride.  The weekend included competition at the Prowers County Fairgrounds, as Lamar was the site for the Southeast Colorado All-Stars High School Rodeo, Friday through Sunday.

By Russ Baldwin