CC Days bring unadulterated fun

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

WINFIELD ? No shoes, missing teeth and Christmas decorations adorning a front lawn even in the heat of the summer may be the images conjured up by the word ?redneck,? but for Winfield, it meant the ability to have unadulterated fun. And that?s exactly what happened when Winfield painted the town redneck during this year?s Crooked Creek Days.

?We did a hillbilly themed float last year and it was so fun that we thought we should incorporate that into this year?s theme,? said Jessica Bean, a Crooked Creek Days Committee member. ?We?re so excited to see what everyone came up with.?

Bean and the committee weren?t disappointed. A firefighter driving one of the trucks in the Winfield fleet waved and children giggled as his wide grin revealed ?bubba teeth.? The float decorated by the Winfield-Mt. Union Community School District?s kitchen staff sat in their lawn chairs among a bundled up penguin, an Easter chicken and a pumpkin wearing a sombrero, fully embracing this year?s theme.

?It looks like another successful year,? said Mayor Chris Finnell. ?The parade was really nice and we had great attendance at the fun run this morning.?

Finnell said one of the highlights for him was the boat race on Friday night.

?The boats were really beautiful and everyone from kids to adults enjoyed it,? he added.

Debbie Robertson, a member of the Crooked Creek Days Committee, added one of the major highlights for her was also the boat regatta.

?The boat races are something you should never miss,? she said, adding she was impressed with the amount of new boats this year. The boats were made of typically cardboard and duct tape or electrical tape, anything that is not plastic or otherwise waterproof.

Robertson said the committee couldn?t ask for better weather this year.

?Usually it?s scorching hot or raining, this year it has just been perfect,? she said.

Melvin Huston has been a Winfield resident his entire life and has never missed a parade.

?I can remember coming before it was even called Crooked Creek Days,? he said. Instead, the community celebration was a fall festival.

Huston and his wife, Kathy, were excited to see their friends and neighbors in the parade and the car show on Sunday.

Carter Boline, 5, wasn?t sure if he was more excited about the candy or the fire trucks.

?I like it when they make noise,? he said of the red engines.

However, for Teagan McDowell, 10, and her sister Chianne, 8, it was a no brainer, the candy was the best part of the weekend.

?I like it when they throw candy right at us,? said Chianne, clutching her plastic bag full of sugary goodies.

Celebrations finished up Sunday evening with a frozen T-shirt contest and fireworks at Twin Lakes Country Club.