Saturday proves perfect for 17th Niles Riverfest
Published 7:03 pm Monday, August 6, 2007
By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - While the rain kept most away Sunday morning, Riverfest was everything but quiet on Friday and Saturday.
People flocked from all over to attend the 17th annual Niles Riverfest, as great food, music and Arts and Crafts are what most came for.
The “Anything that Floats” race was a big hit this year as eager onlookers lined the banks of the St. Joseph River waiting to watch the comical races.
It was clear this event was the highlight of the weekend.
Around 33 rafts set sail on the river, decorated for this years theme, America the Beautiful.
Red, white and blue colors filled the waters, as some of the floats featured the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore a huge bald Eagle and flags galore.
Other choose to feature other thing that make America beautiful, including camouflage colors to show support for the troops and mountains, to show the beauty of the land.
But one of the most favorite rafts seemed to be that of the Howard Township Youth Baseball League.
People clapped when the huge raft approached, as it was the only double-decker raft in the race, featuring two levels and a ladder which led you to the top deck. Two bicycles paddled the way down the river, as they were mounted on the back of the raft and used to steer and keep them going a little faster than they would with regular oars.
Water balloons and squirt guns were aboard just about every raft, making it a pretty wet event as most participants were soaked by the end of the race.
This was the seventh year Tans Down Under competed in the race, and Taylor said she is sure they will continue to do so in the future.
The raft races were made possible by the Niles Boy Scout Troop 550.
This is the third year the troop has sponsored the races, with all money raised proceeding them.
The Dragon Boat races were also a big hit, as the first two Taiwan dragon boats in North America were featured in the race.
Wu-Wen-Ta and Tourism, the two completely restored fire breathing dragons, provided entertainment as teams piled in and competed down the river.
In the youth races, the Niles High School band took first place. Niles High School cheer team was second and Buchanan Athletics was third.
In the adult races, the Niles-Buchanan YMCA was first, Tans Down Under was second and Arkos Design was third. Massimos Pizzaria, City of Niles and Michiana Delivery Service rounded out the six teams.
A number of concerts seemed to also be a delight for those in attendance.
On Saturday, the AAA All Car and Truck Show provided a glimpse at some very unique cars and trucks, featuring newer and older models.
Results of the “Anything that Floats” raft race will be in Tuesday's Daily Star.