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Photo by Sue G. Collins
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It was good, clean competitive fun during the remote control car races Saturday morning during the Saline Summerfest. Pictured are racers Griffin Sibo (left), Cameron Hibbard, Zach Cameron and Robbie Humphrey. The annual festival also featured craft booths, musical entertainment, a car show, children's activities and food.
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The toothy grins on the faces of four Saline boys racing their remote control cars at Sumerfest on Saturday afternoon said it all.
"It's fun to be racing right here in my hometown, with my friends," said Robbie Humphrey.
Hometown fun is what Summerfest is all about.
Humphrey was racing his battery-powered, radio-controlled stock car against Griffin Sibo, Zach Cameron and Cameron Hibbard in the first heat. Between heats, the drivers gathered around a picnic table near the course in front of the Showmobile stage, digging through their tool boxes, taping antennas and changing wheels, laughing and offering up needed hardware to opponents.
The race was one of dozens of activities during the two-day festival in Saline, bringing thousands of visitors and residents downtown for live music, food, history, games classis cars and art on the streets and stages.
The summer hometown celebration began 20 years ago, as Picnic in the Park. The event graduated to downtown Saline three Augusts ago and has continued to grow since then. Art Trapp, Saline's Downtown Development director, helped coordinate the event again this year and was on site Friday and Saturday to oversee the action.
Friday evening, the main Showmobile stage was surrounded by fans of the local band, 50 Amp Fuse and the parking lot was packed with partiers enjoying the mild summer night.
Saturday morning, Richard Hane brought his blue 1968 Plymouth GTX to the annual Saline Street Machine Show, where more than 150 car enthusiasts popped their hoods for a show-and-tell of chrome and polished engines. He chooses just a few shows to attend each summer and was in Saline for his second year.
"The best decision I ever made was to hold on to this car I bought right out of high school in 1971. It was pretty rotted and rusted before I refurbished it and now it's just a sentimental hobby," Hane said.
Participants and sponsors chose their favorite cars in the show (see "Car Champs").
Artists and crafters lined South Ann Arbor Street for the Downtown Merchants' Association Summer Craft Show. Kaitlyn Bourque was selling tie-dyed clothing for the first time in Saline.
"It's a nice show. Everyone is really friendly. This is a great marketing opportunity for us, too," Bourque said.
Sales were "so-so," she said.
Kids were thrilled with the carnival-like spread on the front lawn of Union School all day Saturday.
Anthony Ferrari sat patiently while Kenny McCormick painted his face like a mean, green monster. The Ferrari family of Saline spent Friday evening listening to the band and were back again Saturday for the more Summerfest fun.
McCormick was among the volunteers from the Saline High School Family Career and Community Leaders of America group who helped with the egg and balloon toss, three-legged and sack races, relays and watermelon eating contest.
"These kids were great," said Lisa Slawson, who rallied the Saline Area Girl Scouts and staff at Great Lakes Educational Group to organize the games.
For the first time during Summerfest, the Saline Area Fire Department hosted a roasted chicken dinner. Volunteers and firefighters cooked over a charcoal fire starting at noon and sold out by 6:30 p.m. More than 300 dinners were served up, with a light rain dousing the heat by 7 p.m., the weekend's first and only drizzle during the event.
Staff Writer Sue G. Collins can be reached at 429-7380 or scollins@heritage.com.
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