Summer fun ruled in Monticello

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
JUMP — Jazlyn Brewer tested her abilities for the survivor games last Saturday during Monticello Fun Day.
By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    MONTICELLO — From toddlers to teenagers, parents to grandparents, there was laughter, games, food, fun and prizes in and around the Monticello Fish and Game Club last Saturday when more than 100 residents and visitors joined the daytime festivities even before an evening rock concert.
    Terry Wade, one of the organizers of Monticello Fun Day, said the intention of the event, now in its fourth year, “was simply to bring the kids all together and have a good time before they went back to school.”
    By midday, most of the half dollars hidden in sawdust for the coin scramble had been found. Samantha Cohen, 10, traveled from Bradford to visit her grandmother and found 20 of the half dollars making her one of the top winners along with resident A. J. Thorne. He also found $10 in coins on top of a $5 prize in Oreo stacking. “The best thing is that I got a lot of money,” said 11-year-old Thorne. Later his mother, Barbara, joked that he could now pay her back.
    Darcie Nason, another one of the organizers said the Survivor Games involved teams competing in a number of running events that would culminate in climbing over a haystack. “The top cash prize is $200, second place is $100 and third is $40,” said Nason.
    While some determined their strategies in forming teams, others enjoyed P.J. Harvey’s grilled cheeseburgers, hot dogs and sausages.
    Younger children beat the heat on the red, yellow, blue and green water slide and toddlers bounced up and down in the similarly colored tumble house.
    Teens to tweens tested their skills hitting the target in order to dunk willing participants in a water-filled barrel. Jaron Brewer, 8, said the water was “really cold” but he added that it felt good.  
    The expansive grounds could barely contain the excitement of children. Squeals of excitement were heard everywhere. Cindy Peterson said her “children were looking forward to the event all week long and they were having a ball.”
    Town Manager Ginger Pryor played catch with 18-month-old Dominick Suitter, her grandson, who tossed a light blue ball almost as big as he was. Pryor commented that it was “a nice event before children went back to school.” Watch for more photos in a future edition of the Pioneer Times.