Opinion : A Round of Applause

Dear Editor,

We would like to publicly thank Duane Randall and family, Allan Merchant, Brad Barker, Kelly Brodigan, intern extrordinaire, and all those folks who served on the Party in the Park committee, especially Scott Merchant who brought some radical new ideas to the table!

The 20th anniversary of Party in the Park was a rousing success! Thursday night highlights included record-breaking hotdog attendance at FSB, the Schmidt Family Band, awesome give-aways for the kids, that crazy Gooseman with his geese and ferret, the juggler, and so much more.

Friday brought more great entertainment! The Vinton Community Band was outstanding, as always. Special thanks to Judy Trygstad for her organizational expertise and beautiful music! Free pizza in the Pizza Hut pizza eating contest was a big hit. And everybody LOVED Dogs on Skis!

Chuck Yedlik's idea of a "little bang" had many folks asking if we'd moved the fireworks to Friday night. Just you wait…..

Saturday's entertainment was so wonderful, people stayed through the rain to enjoy every last minute. The Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School jazz band rocked! And Joan Cooling's dancers stole the show, as always!

Thanks so much to Joan Cooling for her impromptu assistance with the remaining Saturday entertainment!

We especially want to thank all those who entered the Riverside's Got Talent contests and the Are You Stronger Than a Fifth Grader Tug O' War.

What an amazing array of talent, including our expert judges - Greg Walston, Janet Woodhouse, Sue Gates and Shelley Haisman, and talented-beyond-their-years emcees for the day - Meghan Owens and Wes Lyons. The afternoon was more fun than we could have imagined, and we're already looking forward to next year's line-up.

The Fifth Graders were totally psyched to win the Tug O' War contest, but Mark Erickson and his Kettlebellers proved to be formidable opponents. The VPRD lifeguards are all signing up for Kettlebell class, the Vinton Kiwanis Club for ethics class, and the Fifth Graders will be enjoying their success with free popcorn and a free showing of "Kung Fu Panda 2" on Saturday morning, July 2 at 10 a.m.

We loved, loved, loved the High Road Band! And TONIC SOL FA! It was great to have the guys back again. We can attest to their winning personalities and harmony on and off stage. Wow!

And finally, Chuck Yedlik and crew - there are no words. God Bless America and Vinton, IA.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible generosity of the many businesses and individuals who contributed financially to our family festival. The t-shirt was crowded with the names of those supporters, and we know of at least two unnamed benefactors - Fareway, who gave the Palace Theatre an amazing price on lemons, and Leons, who donated oil and tenderloins to the Lions when they ran out on Saturday.

Thanks to all who participated in Party in the Park 2011. Every little gesture, every offer of an extra hand was so appreciated by all in attendance. It takes so many, many generous community members to organize and effortlessly man a festival of this scale - VS FFA, Nancy Baldwin, Vinton Pizza Hut, John Frazier, the Vinton Lions Club, the VPRD summer staff, Brian Larkin and Jan Andreesen, who photographed the event for posterity, to name just a few.

We know we left so many names off the list of thank yous, but really - this festival epitomizes the heart and soul of small town Iowa. If you haven't taken part, we encourage you to plan to do so next year. By giving just an hour or two of your time and talent, you can help make a good thing GREAT! Call Duane and volunteer today! Trust us, he's already planning for next year.

Sincerely,

Marcy Horst and Lu Karr

Party in the Park Saturday Entertainment committee