Songfest of celebration opens Bushwhacker Days 2003 tonight

More participants than ever will be on hand to open the 39th Annual Bushwhacker Days Wednesday, June 11. Performances will be presented by The Gordon's Trio from Community Christian Church, Alice Cranston of United Methodist Church; Reyka Mason, Nevada High School; Marantha Christian Fellowship; David and Charie Sands of the Nazarene Church, the Pentecostal Assembly Choir, and Wes Morton from First Baptist Church. Our national anthem will be performed by Tim Wilson at 6 p.m., with other performances to follow. The featured closing act will be Bob Ingle and The Grateful Saved, who began as a group of musicians coming together to play some of Bob's songs. As time passed they evolved into a band and became friends and brothers. Although the music was their catalyst, their common bond is their covenant with Jesus. He is at the center of their music and lives. The Bushwhacker cookout and ice cream social on Wednesday and Thursday will kick off events with food and fun, beginning with food, of course, said Kathi Wysong, chamber of commerce director. The Bushwhacker Committee will host a cookout beginning at 5:30 each evening on the south side of the Nevada Courthouse Square. On Thursday, June 13, organizers added an Ice Cream Social to the menu, complete with Bushwhacker cakes and cobblers. Organizers recommend bringing lawn chairs. The Bushwhacker Dog Show returns this year with a new wiggle from Wonderful Animals Giving Support and Kennedy's AgriCenter, who are sponsoring the dog show this year. In conjunction with the local dog show, Purina Mills, LLC, is offering the "People and Their Amazing Animals" talent search for area dog owners on Wednesday, June 11, at the north driveway area of the courthouse. Sign-up begins at 4:30 with judging at 5:30 p.m. The first 50 dog entries will receive complimentary "pet packs" for participating. Certificates will be awarded in the following categories: Pet and Owner Look-alike, Best Dressed, Ugliest Pet, Shortest/Longest Hair, Legs, Nose, and Tail, Shortest Pet, Tallest Pet, Loudest bark, among others. The local winner in the most talented search portion is eligible to enter the national contest. Winners will be presented on the main stage following the contest. All pets must have current tags or shots records available and be on a leash or caged to participate. For more information, please contact Kennedys at (417) 667-5775 or Carol at the extension center, (417) 448-2560. Miller Spectacular Shows returns as the featured carnival, and once again Johnny and Sue Miller and family will provide the carnival midway on Hunter Street during Bushwhacker Days. Always a hit, the carnival opens tonight and offers armband nights both Wednesday and Thursday, $1.50 rides will be offered on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. New state fair rides have arrived and are ready for everyone to enjoy. As the event moves toward the county's 2005 Sesquicentennial observance, Bushwhacker Days will honor our past with a display of commemorative flags of Confederate and Federal heritage. The flags will be featured in opening ceremonies on Thursday, June 12, before being placed under honor watch by area National Guard units. Informational brochures on the flags and their prominence in our history will be available on site next to the Bushwhacker info booth on the Southwest corner of the Nevada Square. Local favorites take to the stage on Thursday evening, when events will start off with a bang from the Missouri Osage Territory Muzzleloaders and are topped off with the crowning of the Bushwhacker Royalty candidates at 6:30 p.m. Event promoters urge fairgoers, "Don't be surprised if some Jayhawkers wander across the border to stir up some good-natured trouble with the all-new Bushwhacker border wars." It's a tug-o-war matching Nevada's finest against who knows what. Jeff Tweten will serve as the local master of ceremonies and Wes Morton will sing the National Anthem. Mayor Bill Edmonds will declare the official opening of our 2003 celebration. Following those events will be Lip Sync contest, a traditional favorite. Ten aspiring performers, in kindergarten through grade 12, will take to the stage beginning at 7 p.m. Later, featured vocalists ready to heat up this "local night" will include the great sounds of Reyka Mason, Ashley Taylor, Dusty Murry, Julie King, and Doug Harper. Featured local performers closing out Thursday night's show are members of "Distant Kin" a well-known, talented group of guys who are sure to please anyone's taste in music. The group will be performing country, rock n' roll, or a touch of bluegrass. New this year is the Missouri Department of Conservation's Traveling Aquarium. Up to 25 different species of Missouri's native fish will be on display on the North Courthouse driveway through Saturday. Guests can see some of the more popular sport and game fish along with fish rarely seen by most people. Fisheries biologist, Jeff Finley, will be on hand and professional anglers demonstrate fishing tips and techniques from atop the mobile aquarium. Programs will be presented by members of the Missouri Department of Conservation throughout the day, using a variety of equipment and techniques. The traveling aquarium and all the local events held on Thursday are sponsored by Heartland Behavioral Health Services. For more information, look at the event Web site, www.bushwhackerdays.com