Summer Festival = Summer Fun

If you weren't in Malta on Friday evening or Saturday, you missed out on an event-packed downtown district, hosted by the Malta Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by local business and organizations, that kept the area full of people and things to do.

Things got underway on Friday night at Veteran's Memorial Park with food vendors, inflatable bounce houses and water attractions, petting zoo, beer gardens, and street dance, all on a closed off Front Street.

"I don't remember a street dance down here since back when the mine was still running and I was a little kid," Malta's Shane Carnahan said.

Saturday started with a Pancake breakfast, hosted Phillips County Hospital and Family Clinic to benefit the Malta Kiwanis, and was followed by Crazy Days downtown, with local businesses offering goods at marked down prices, as local vendors, and concessions for sale. The PCN's Sports Editor extraordinaire and proprietor of the Dreaded Bean Coffee Company, Pierre Bibbs, was one of the artisans on hand in Veterans Park (along with his wife, Susan, and sons P.J. and Lincoln) selling his goods.

"I have always enjoyed Crazy Days in Malta," Bibbs said. "Anything to get people out on a wonderful day and into our local establishments is a great thing indeed."

Making their second appearance of the day at the park was the bouncy houses and water attractions. Leeila Oxarart, 6 of Malta, was enjoying her time in the kid's area and said she had a particular favorite.

"The beach balls are the best," she said of the huge balls sat in before being filled with air. "Really, everything was fun."

Another highlight of the day was the tricycle races hosted by Frontline Ag Solutions. Before the races, 5-year-old Titus Carnahan said he was going to drive his tricycle 1,000 miles per hour. Titus has been riding motorcycles for the past two years (he has a Honda 50, 4-stroke) and had a definite answer as to who was the better motocross rider between, he and his father, Shane.

"I am," he said. "I can pop big wheelies."

Each of the children who raced on the day was awarded a miniature, diecast metal John Deere Tractor.

ds, Stories, and Photos is noon on Mondays. Anything after that time will be placed in the newspaper if room allows. Thanks.