HOULTON, Maine — The morning of July 4 started out just as any other year, with the parade through the town square. This year’s parade was clearly a step above any other I had witnessed in the town of Houlton, with everything from walking inflatable firemen, to an antique tractor show, and even a small group of exhausted looking
dogs walked through the town.
Dunn’s Furniture, as usual, took home the award for best commercial float with their red, white and blue 100th year birthday cake.
With all the new ideas for the parade in mind, I set forth for the fairgrounds, hoping to get an equal helping from the fair. I stepped out of my car and was instantly struck by the familiar smell of Italian sausages and doughboys, accompanied by the sound of faint screams of joy from the Zipper in the distance.
My first stop was at the Little League field, where I joined a packed crowd in front of Kachunga’s alligator den, waiting to see whether or not he would have his arm bitten off by the eight-foot gator.
Following the alligator show I followed most of the crowd across the Little League outfield to watch Houlton native Sam Johnson juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle on a slack rope.
After watching the one-man circus I decided to briefly head over to the packed Derby Hill to examine the mud runs. I stayed only long enough to see two large trucks fly through the pit, spraying a wave of mud in all directions, before eventually admitting defeat and being pulled out of the wet grave.
At this point I became exhausted by the hot July sun and looked for cover in the entertainment tent, where I accidentally witnessed the most exciting part of this years fair.
I sat, watching in amazement, as the 65-year-old Bruce Tilton dominated nearly all of the speed eating events of the day. Tilton started out by chugging a bottle of Moxie soda in nine seconds. He then inhaled a jar of salsa in under 25 seconds. After completing both of these amazing feats, Tilton began walking my way, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“You think that was good, you wait until you see the jalapeño pepper contest. I love those things,” explained Tilton just before heading outside of the tent to have a cigarette to calm his churning stomach.
Tilton would later come in second-place in the jalapeño contest, following another amazing performance of finishing a jar of the spicy peppers in 44 seconds.
Eventually I made my way back to the Little League field to watch Circus Sam once again pull
off one-handed handstands and juggle objects that should not be juggled. This bought just enough time before Rock Renaissance took the stage in the Bob Ruth field. The band jammed all through the evening, and, much like last year’s Bicentennial celebration, played Freebird quietly in the background as the fireworks show blasted over head.
Everyone, as usual, rushed to their cars following the grand-finale of the fireworks, hoping, unsuccessfully, to beat the massive yearly traffic jam. Overall, this year’s Fourth of July celebrations combined to give the same traditional feel as they always do, while also having just enough surprises to keep the annual fair-goers on their toes.
