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Festival promotes community's 'Crazee' spirit
Sunny skies and warmer temperatures drew thousands of people to the city's downtown area on Saturday for a day filled with music, crafts and fun during this year's Crazee Dayz celebration.
Throughout the day, businesses and craftsmen set up booths along the city streets selling everything from jewelry to Asian food.
As people walked along the streets, curiosity would cause a number of them to stop and take a closer look, including a booth that local artist Bob West set up in front of Stoecker Jewelers. Putting paint to a canvas, he began fleshed out the details of the mountains surrounding a cabin near Challis.
The actual cabin in the photo he used as a reference was condemned, so he set out to create a portrait of the building as a way to preserve its memory, he said.
Down the block, Michelle Niksich was helping children like Tripp Riley plant petunias in small, plastic cups. A representative with Community Partnerships of Idaho, Niksich and others with the organization used the display to inspire children and adults to "bloom" in their own lives, she said.
Across the street, youngsters like Olivia Martinez were drawn to a petting zoo hosted by local Optimist Ag students. It was the first time that Martinez had been up close to an actual pony -- a miniature version known as Dolly. Despite it's miniature, which still towered over the five year old.
Crazee Daze was also a way for members of the Mountain Home High School football team to rally support for the varsity squad. As people watched, players like Jon Kaiser demonstrated their skills by throwing footballs through the narrow opening of a car tire carefully stacked on top of several others.
Throughout the afternoon, music echoed across the area as various clubs and organizations held small-scale concerts and demonstrations on the stage next to the chamber of commerce office.
Students from the local Methods of Movement dance studio decided they needed something larger than the stage to showcase their moves. Dressed in bright red outfits complete with red wigs, some of the dancers jumped in the air while others spun around or performed somersaults as the audience clapped in appreciation.
While Saturday was often a time for people to have fun, it also served as a way to raise awareness and raise money for different causes. Along a stretch of North 2nd East Street, members of the Mountain Home Fire Department collected donations from passing motorists.
Money raised during the annual "fill the boot" event will benefit the community's Fourth of July fireworks show, which is hosted each year by local firefighters.
Although there was a number of activities and sights to take in across the downtown area, it was the carnival in Railroad Park that drew people like Ryleigh Lamanna, Alissa Packer and Melissa Parkinson. The teens took a few minutes to check out a few rides before they had to leave for a cheerleader performance.
Saturday was a milestone of sorts for Packer. It was the first time she had ever been on a high-speed carnival attraction -- one that was appropriately named Sizzler.
"I had to get my allowance to do this, but it was pretty fun," Packer said.
For teens like Rylie Mohr, the yearly carnival remains a family tradition that began when she was five years old. Today, it's a chance for the teen to hang out with her friends and to have fun, she said.
Others like Jessica Johnson made their first visit to Crazee Dayz on Saturday.
"I'm pretty impressed with it," said Johnson as her daughter, Maria, waited to go on one of the rides.
Just a few feet away, Kristen Miles held out her camera as she snapped photos of her son, Gavin, as the toddler prepared to take a spin on one of the kiddie rides. The family took advantage of the nicer weather by coming to the downtown festival, but they had another reason for attending, she said.
"My older son really wanted to go on the rides," Miles added.