News

     Fireworks, Dogs on Skis, a pizza eating contest and pony cart rides were part of the Friday fun at Party in the Park.       Chuck Yedlik of Bar-Y Pyros called Friday's show a "Little Bang;" the big bang takes place Saturday, with the biggest fireworks show in the 20-year history of Party in the Park.

  For twenty years Vinton’s Party in the Park has featured the area’s most talented performers in fifteen-minute and half-hour segments on the Riverside Band Shell stage.  This year, in order to showcase the greatest possible number of performers, organizers decided to try something new. Riverside’s Got Talent, Jr.

  FRIDAY, JUNE 24 Riverside Park 6:00 pm Community Band: Enjoy big band sounds from local musicians! 6:45 pm Announcements & Pizza Hut Pizza Eating Contest: 7:00 pm Dogs on Skis: Since 1986, Dogs on Skis have been entertaining Iowans and those in the surrounding states. Playing everything from classics to top 40 hits!   Plus: Food Booths : Games & Activities : Rides (Train, Horse Drawn Wagon, Tractor Pulled Hay Rack) Dark NEW!!!! SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS DISPLAY AT DARK by Bar Y Pyros   SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Riverside Park FREE FOR THE KIDS 11:00 am - 3:00 pm FFA Petting Zoo 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Pony Rides Noon - 3:00 pm Kids Crafts Noon - 4:30 pm Kid Again Inflatables 6:30 - 8:00 pm SPORT COMPETITIONS 8:00 am 5K Fun Run/Walk 11:00 am Disc Golf Tournament 1:00 pm Dodgeball Tournament 2:00 pm Bags for Burns Memorial Tournament 2:00 pm Horseshoe Tournament DUNK TANK Noon - 4:00 pm Sponsored by Dollars for Scholars   FREE BINGO 1:00 - 3:00 pm Hummel/Veterans Shelter-All ages welcome!   HISTORICAL CIVIL WAR DISPLAY 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Special Exhibit sponsored by Benton County Historical Society and the State Historical Society of Iowa, History on the Move   DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT 11:00 am Cooling Dancers 11:30 am VSMS Jazz Band 11:55 am Minute to Win It, Round 1 Noon Riverside's Got Talent Jr.

     You would have had to see it for yourself to believe it, but Vinton's 2011 Party in the Park weekend began Thursday night with geese that knew when it was time to start.       The Goose Man, Paul Messerschmidt, brought several of his trained geese to Vinton to entertain and teach the crowd. The geese made their way toward the front of the line of children who had gathered go from the Farmers Bank parking lot to the courthouse lawn on foot, bikes, and other wheeled vehicles.

     Many area children helped Jugglers Dean Franzen and Doug Sayers perform  during the Party in the Park activities Thursday night.      Sayers, a 20-something and Franzen, a 50-something who has relatives in Vinton, used pins, balls, discs and even swords and a unicycle in two 30-minute shows.      Both men have been performing throughout Iowa and beyond for many years, and Sayers has recently won championships in world juggling competitions.

       "The goose is booked."      That play on words came from a Vinton Parks and Recreation Board member as the first act of the 2011 Party in the Park was scheduled last November.      The Goose Man is coming to Vinton tonight.      Paul Messerschmidt -- a former western Iowa school classmate of two Vinton residents, VPRD Board President Jeff Peterson and Bob Noren -- will bring his flock of trained geese to the courthouse lawn tonight.

  Horizons, A Family Service Alliance, celebrated its third annivesary in Vinton with an open house Tuesday morning at the Horizons office at 215 North K. Ave, Vinton.  The event will offered  an opportunity to learn about Horizons’ iCan Behavioral Health Intervention Services for Children and Families, Mental Health Counseling, Early Access and Family Support Programs offered in Vinton.

Yesterday, Matt Betterton and Scott Barron organized a ground-breaking ceremony for their new clinic on 13th Street on the west edge of Vinton. Hearing about this event made me remember my introduction to chiropractic medicine... I was fortunate enough to have had a happy childhood, not a lot of drama, and relatively normal. I can't think of anything that really gave me a phobia from if except one thing, trips to the chiropractor with my mom.

     As children arrive at the Farmers Savings Bank & Trust-Vinton parking lot Thursday evening, June 23, for the annual Party in the Park Kiddie Parade, the FSB staff will continue the tradition of serving hotdogs, chips and soda to everyone.      The annual Community Appreciation Picnic begins at 5 p.m. Thursday and continues until the start of the Kiddie Parade at 6:30.

       This year’s Party in the Park celebration is better than ever!  It’s the 20th anniversary of Vinton’s annual family-oriented celebration.  We’ve got a weekend full of awesome entertainment and fun for the whole family.  The fun kicks off Thursday, June 23rd with a community picnic sponsored by Farmer’s Savings Bank and Trust.