Good food, good folks, bright sun and a lot of fun set the theme Saturday for the annual Coal Grove Fun Days kickoff.

Saturday, July 01, 2000

Good food, good folks, bright sun and a lot of fun set the theme Saturday for the annual Coal Grove Fun Days kickoff.

"It’s all about family," Mayor Tom McKnight said, as the sun draped Paul Porter Park in perfect weather.

The Sherman, Harmon and Townsend families – the guiding force behind Coal Grove’s volunteer fire department – were the early birds, already out and about the park shortly after noon.

"Usually, I just come up here and run around – have fun," nine-year-old Travis Sherman said.

Travis was joined by another family member, Cory Sherman, 8, who said he always looks forward to the fireworks display – and a lot of "silly spray."

"I like the food – especially the hot dogs," Cory said. "These hot dogs are the best I’ve ever had."

Held for the kids, Fun Days is a good time for all families to get together, McKnight said.

"Fun Days originated in 1976 in the hopes that mom and dad will get some laughs with their kids," he said.

And a lot of time and preparation is put into the event each year.

"These Family Fun Days have a good heritage and there’s a lot of time spent in preparation," Coal Grove Betterment Club co-president Les Boggs said. "I’d say the Betterment Club spent six months getting this together – planning, finding sponsors, organizing, raising money and collecting vendors."

Some Fun Days participants came Saturday for the food, and others for the games. Kayla Townsend, 13, came for the games.

"I like to play a lot of the games," she said. "My favorite is the Pepsi Toss."

This Pepsi game requires a little skill and precision. The contestant, distanced from their favorite two liter of pop, must throw a one-and-one-half-inch ring around the bottle.

"If you can get the ring around, or just to land on top of the bottle, you get to keep the pop," Kayla said.

Kayla said when she’s not playing games during Fun Days, she’s spending time playing with friends.

"Fun Days are the best time for me to see all my friends at the same time," she said. "Most of the time we get together and do the same things."

Ten-year-old Dustin Harmon, cousin of Kayla and Travis, also came to play games. He likes the dunking booth best.

"I plan on dunking dad and mom," he said, adding it’s his chance to get back at his parents. "If I hit the target, I’m going to laugh."

Many firefighters get a little wet on Fun Days, too, because they’re the ones getting dunked in the booth.

Dustin said hitting the target isn’t always easy, though.

"Over the years, I’ve dunked probably about 10 people but it’s kind of hard to hit the target," he said. "You have to throw a softball at the target and hit it. You don’t have to hit it hard, though. If you hit it, it pops back."

Dustin said he plans on spending the entire day at the park and also looks forward to Monday’s fireworks display.

"I like the games, the fireworks – it’s fun," he said. "I guess that’s why they call it Fun Days."