St. Anthony Firemen’s Fest: Show and Shine Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show and Street Fest August 20

Roadsters — it’s time to add some spit and polish to your prized vehicles in preparation for the St. Anthony Volunteer Fire Department’s 20th annual Street Fest and Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show.

The date has been set for this Saturday, August 20 and the site for all the festivities will be the area around 4465 Cross Street, St. Anthony, just off SR 64. All events will be held rain or shine.

This festival has grown through the years into a grand community event featuring a Backyard BBQ contest, Chili Cook Off, Cornhole Tourney, games for the younger set, and the aforementioned Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show, all anchored by a Street Fest featuring live music and cold beer, along with plenty of tasty victuals to sustain attendees throughout the day.

“This [fund-raising] event is important to our fire department,” explains Chief Scott Uebelhor, “but more importantly, it represents our community as a whole and we are quite proud of what has become a leading festival in our area.”

Vehicle owners can register for the car show from 9 a.m. until noon. Cost is $15 for cars and trucks and $10 for motorcycles. Dash plaques will be presented to the first 100 show entries and awards given to the top five in the 2005-newer category and the top 60 vehicles circa 1900-2004. The top 18 motorcycles will be honored with no special consideration for make or model and all years qualify. Special awards will be presented for Special Interest, Club Participation, Fire Chief’s Award and Best of Show.

Awards will be presented at 3 p.m.

Car, truck and motorcycle enthusiasts are admitted free, as is everyone else not showing and shining.

Not into vehicles? No sweat — as mentioned previously, there is something for everyone at this fabulous fest.

The Backyard BBQ and Chili Contest promises to produce some winners. Crowd tasting of chili samples begins at 11 a.m. and a chili bracelet granting permission to taste all the delectable offerings costs $3. Sampling of everything else begins at noon. A bracelet to sample the whole gamut costs $5.

Know the chefs will have been hard at it as setup and grill lighting commences at 4 a.m. Chili is to be turned in at 11 a.m., barbecued chicken at noon, ribs at 1 p.m., pulled pork at 2 p.m. and awards presented at 6:15 p.m.

Concession stands open at 9 a.m., with chicken and fries available starting at 11 a.m. For the full gamut fried chicken dinner (served with taters, beans, thresher and tomatoes) visit the air conditioned community center starting at 4 p.m.

The beer garden opens at noon with the final beverage served at 12:30 a.m.

The WBDC Corn Hole Tourney begins at noon with sign-up at 11 a.m. and the Kiddie Tractor Pull kicks off at 3:30 p.m. with sign-up at 3 p.m. Kids games, inside the tennis courts, start at 4 p.m., including Dodgeball (sign-up at 3:30 p.m. at the tennis courts) with three classes — ages 12 and under, ages 13-18 (starting immediately after 12U) and 10 and over (immediately after 13-18).

Boogie Tunes will spin discs from 4 to 6 p.m. and again at 11:30 p.m. following live entertainment.

The High Road will take the stage from 6-8 p.m., followed by Eighty-Sixt from 8-11:30 p.m. Expect dancing in the streets, with an official Street Dance start time of 6 p.m.

Winners of the grand raffle, with 160 prizes (and tickets available until the drawing), will be pulled at 9 p.m. inside the community center.

For more information about the car show or fest, contact Tom Boehm at 812-639-7180 (tboehm1951@yahoo.com), Matt Boehm at 812-631-2423 (boehmpowersports@yahoo. com) or Don Kluemper at 812-482-2754 (kdkluemper@psci.net).