Justin Schneider
justin.schneider@heraldbulletin.com
LAPEL — Kaitlyn Charles beamed with glee as she bounced around her inflatable palace.
“I’m a princess,” the 4-year-old said.
With eight bounce-house toys for children, the 2007 Lapel Village Fair was more kid-friendly than ever before. And children had their choice of characters: Spider-Man, a Dalmatian, a dragon. Two other brightly-colored toys featured slides, but Kaitlyn chose the one that looked like a castle.
“We come over every year, usually on Saturday because that’s when they have the parade,” said Nancy Charles of Noblesville, Kaitlyn’s mother. “It’s exactly what a small-town fair should be. I think she’s at the age where she can really enjoy it.”
Older kids climbed a 30-foot rock-climbing wall on Sixth Street, while their parents perused the vendors’ booths lining main street. Artwork, sunglasses and collectibles were for sale, while the adventurous could visit the face-painting or henna booths.
There was also plenty of traditional and nontraditional fair food. Alongside the elephant ears, lemon shake-ups and corn on the cob were walleye sandwiches and Michael’s Old Fashion Home Made Ice Cream. The Salem-based ice cream seller used a John Deere “hit-and-miss” engine to grind fresh ice for its ice cream creations.
Jim and Sandy Gladstone, meanwhile, were entranced by Greg Adams’ Willow creations. Adams, who has a storefront on Main Street, constructs furniture and other home furnishings from willow in his unique style.
“His stuff is just amazing,” said Jim Gladstone of Anderson. “I never knew there was anybody local doing this kind of work.”
Proceeds from the fair will go toward downtown improvements. Festivities continue today with breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m.
The fair opened Friday with the community rummage sale, followed by a street dance, fish fry and chicken noodle dinner. Saturday featured a full slate of musical performances.
Jane Alley took the stage at 2 p.m., charming listeners with her gentle, acoustic sound. Trish Gonzales and Janie Schrock were up next, their harmonic interplay seeming to build anticipation for the fair’s flagship event: the parade.
In the bright sun of the afternoon, parade-watchers set up chairs on front porches, in doorways along main street or under the shade of trees.
A motorcycle from the Madison County Sheriff Department got the procession started, followed by AMVETS representatives and a lone POW-MIA supporter marching in all black, including a black facemask. VFW representatives recreated the planting of the flag at Iwo Jima, a pose they held as the float moved through downtown.
Plenty of golf carts, tractors and a vintage fire engine were also part of the parade. The Lapel Community Band followed the parade with a concert at 5 p.m. at the Lapel Branch Library parking lot.
