The Petoskey firemen are great contributors to the festival's activities. High above the crowd is a big bucket filled with precious cargo at the top of that fire truck ladder.
From that height, the firemen dumped out the cargo--rubber duckies. They have been purchased for $10 each in hopes of being the duck that finds that center of the bulls eye.
Once the winning ducks have been removed from the bulls eye, children thought it was fun to play with the loser birds.
The firemen were also helping with a rousing game of water ball. Children (or anyone that doesn't mind getting soaked) can hold that big water hose to spray the ball suspended from a cable.
You are sure to get wet because your opponent is trying to do the same. The opposing streams of water are guaranteed to soak everyone playing water ball--including the two good-natured firemen that were helping.
Another good-natured competition was unfolding on the lawn by the bay. Cardboard and duck tape were available as the only construction materials needed.
The finished cardboard boats were lined up on the beach for a photo opportunity before the race.
Divided up into age groups, the teenage group was the largest division as they were poised at the starting line.
It didn't take long before some of the boats began to show signs that they were not sea-worthy.
In the adult division, it didn't take long before we had a man over-board.
The route around the buoys was surprisingly long, but not all the boats made it the distance. This is one of the boats by the end of the race.
We have watched people fly fishing in beautiful rivers all over this country, but never understood the technique. So when we saw a booth at the festival teaching people to fly fish, we tried it ourselves. Denisa is learning the snap-and-wait technique that allows the fishing line to float down in front of a fish in the water. Her line is in the air, as she is trying to tempt that felt fish with her velcro hook. What a great opportunity to get instruction from master fishermen!
Meanwhile, musicians are singing for the crowd, and this guy is juggling fire and swallowing swords just for our entertainment.
The local rental shop is offering free rides on any of their water toys. For all the time we have kayaked, we have never tried a stand-up paddle board (SUP). In the picture below, Mark is getting outfitted with the appropriate equipment and instruction.
Part of the instruction includes the warning that you will probably fall in the water. He was also told to start with one knee down to give him more stability.
He also tried the kneeling position in the ripply water of the marina. Denisa kept the camera poised, not wanting to miss the shot when he fell into the water.
He stood up on the board as he headed into the wavy water of the bay. From the shore, we saw some arm-flailing at times, but he always managed to regain his balance. He reported that it was a good core-strengthening exercise, but the kayak still seems to be our best water toy. He was still dry when he paddled back to the beach.
Then we made our way to the pier for an unobstructed view, just to make sure we got our money's worth from this million dollar view.
We had a great time at Petoskey's Bay Festival. We wrapped up the weekend's events at the Sunday church service at the bay the next morning. We are really liking our new home town!
No comments:
Post a Comment