LEROY – Where else can a family sit at the curbside, watch a parade and then enjoy free watermelon?.

Thursday, July 20, 2000

LEROY – Where else can a family sit at the curbside, watch a parade and then enjoy free watermelon?

Answer: LeRoy, of course.

SummerFest 2000 starts Friday and doesn’t stop until Sunday afternoon.

It is an opportunity for the community’s residents to strut their pride and show others how to have fun.

Much of the activities take place at South Park, but all one has to do is drive to LeRoy, get out of the car and follow the happy noise to find something to do.

The activities begin Friday with a benefit supper for the LeRoy – Ostrander Public Schools indoor swimming pool. It starts at 6 p.m. Friday in South Park, where there will be an exhibition and log-sawing contest.

The Cardinal Lanes hosts its annual King of the Hill bowling tournament, beginning 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Then, a free, all-age street dance will be held 7 p.m. to midnight in South Park. Toon Mon will provide the deejay services for the music.

Saturday’s schedule has something for everyone.

Fast-pitch softball and the ever-challenging quad tournaments start in the morning and continue throughout the day.

For the uninitiated, quad refers to a volleyball, basketball, whiffleball and kick ball competition.

The LeRoy Garden Club will hosts tours of backyards beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday at the South Park Pavilion.

A kids’ carnival will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in South Park.

Children are also invited to enter the pedal tractor pull beginning at 9 a.m. in South Park.

Then, a test of muscles and intelligence – Who will be the anchor? – takes place at 1:30 p.m. when the annual tug-of-war challenges all comers.

The competition starts at 1:30 p.m. in North Park.

All day long there will be a crafts and flea market in South Park as well as bingo from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The LeRoy Volunteer Fire Department welcomes all "hosers" to its water wars – where else? – under the town’s water tower at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Then, a Windsor pork chop feed will be served 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in South Park.

The Saturday schedule concludes with an adult street dance 8 p.m. to midnight featuring the music of The River Dogs.

Sunday’s SummerFest schedule begins with an ecumenical worship service at 9:30 a.m.

The softball and other tournaments continue all day in North Park and the crafts and flea market continues also all day in South Park.

The Show and Shine Car Show will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in South Park.

The LeRoy Volunteer Fire Department will take care of Sunday dinner with a chicken fry, beginning at 11 a.m. at the emergency services building.

Then, families will line main street from east to west for the grand parade at 2 p.m.

Attention children: no other parade has more candy thrown from parade units than the annual SummerFest parade.

After the parade, First State Bank of LeRoy will sponsor a free watermelon feed in the emergency services building.

The weekend’s fun is capped by bed races among local 4-Hers and a horseshoe tournament at South Park.