Pedaling her way to a good time

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Residents of Walker were out en force over the weekend enjoying their annual Walker Fun Days. Vendors were on hand to slake thirsts and satisfy anyone's desire for kettle corn or barbecue and organizers had plenty of contests for the revelers to enjoy. A first for this celebration was the presence of a gun show sponsored by the Walker Fire Department. One of the contests drawing the crowd's attention Saturday morning was the pedal tractor pull which pitted youngsters against a weighted drag. As the contestants progressed the weight was increased. Boys and girls competed against each other in the contest which was closely followed by parents of the contestants. Elizabeth Prewitt, 7, said she was doing so well in the contest because she liked to bicycle a lot. The motorcycles were another crowd pleaser with vintage machines cheek-by-jowl with newer models. The crowd of motorcyclists participated in their own contests, one of which was the hot dog bite. A hot dog was suspended from a wire and the passenger had to take a bite out of it without using hands. The contest tested both passenger and rider with the slow pace necessary causing riders to have to concentrate on keeping their machines steady. Another motorcycle contest was the balloon toss. Passengers had to throw a balloon in the air, over a horizontal wire and catch the balloon without breaking it. Passengers and riders alike got drenched during the hardest part of the operation -- catching the balloon without breaking it. Vintage trucks and tractors were lined up on the east end of the celebration. Paint gleamed on trucks and tractors alike showing the attention to detail owners put into their machines. Frank Arnold, Nevada had a fire-engine red 1951 Ford pickup entered in the vintage auto contest. The gun show was held in the fire departments building and 25 vendors were present to offer their wares to the public. Guns available ranged from fairly valuable antiques to modern day firearms. Some vendors had parts to sell for those looking to repair their weapons and some vendors offered accessories like scopes and slings to add value to a gun. Vendors Joe and Nancy Pettibon have built a business supplying bullets for those who like to load their own ammunition. Russell Hays, Walker Fire Department, said that one reason he thought the gun show was a success was because of Walker's location. "We're half way between El Dorado Springs and Nevada so we draw people from both towns." Hays said the show had attracted quite a crowd by noon Saturday and he expected quite a few more. "I estimate we've had about 200 so far today and by the end of Sunday we should see about 500 altogether over the two day weekend." Hays says that with the good turnout the gun show should be an annual event during the Walker Fun Days. "I look forward to it. I think it's something that can bring people in to town and they can stay for the fun."

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