Near record-breaking heat and a late-night thunderstorm or two couldn’t keep the crowds away as Langford celebrated its annual Summer Fest and Alumni Weekend July 24-26.
With temperatures climbing into the mid- to upper 90s and heat index values reaching nearly 105 degrees, attendees braved some of the hottest weather of the summer to celebrate Langford’s 140th birthday, America’s 250th anniversary and another successful community festival.
While Friday’s music with Kat Perkins started late and Saturday evening’s Dueling Pianos performance was cut short by a fast-moving storm, the weekend’s live entertainment remained one of the festival’s biggest draws.
Earlier Saturday evening, the Langford Legion hosted a packed house for a special musical revue honoring longtime Langford play director Diane Hoines, who celebrated directing her 50th school play this past year. Friends, former cast members and colleagues shared memories from Hoines’ decades of involvement in community theater, while performers revisited songs from productions spanning her career.
A variety of events kept festivalgoers busy throughout the weekend.
The Langford Community Foundation’s Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament, hosted by Justin Deutch, crowned Troy Sattler as champion, followed by Ron Wegleitner in second and Marty Micko in third.
One of the festival’s newest attractions, the Langford Puzzle Competition hosted by Tari Heitman, proved to be an instant success, drawing both first-time puzzlers and seasoned competitors. Team “We Thought This Was Bingo!” — Shelly Steiner, Ashley Fries, Kade Larson and Susie Larson — claimed first place with a time of 35:47. “Falling to Pieces” finished second in 42:33, while “Fit Happens” placed third in 54:33.
The annual Golf Cart Poker Run attracted 66 participants. Organized by Kristi Stiklestad, the event featured host sites at the homes of Diane Lewandowski and Todd Wenz, Shelly and Paul Steiner, and Tim and Shari Schock. Cari Price took home the winning poker hand.
Classic cars and motorcycles lined the streets during the annual car show, with winners including: Chevy class — Pat Bladow, first, 1963 Nova; Jacob and Mindy Vander Vorst, second, 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS. Ford class — Bob Krueger, first, 1968 Mustang Fastback; Terry Haaland, second, 1955 Fairlane. Mopar class — Rick LaVay, first, 1970 Plymouth Road Runner; Kyle Wieszar, second, 1970 Plymouth Road Runner. Street Rods class — Mike Lynn, first, 1934 Ford three-window coupe; Mike Wiltfang, second, 1934 Plymouth all-steel coupe.
Antique class — Philip Overby, first, 1931 Ford Model A pickup; Don Gooding, second, 1929 Roadster Model A. Pickups — Mike and Gayle Hastings, first, 1958 Chevy Apache; Gage Burns, second, 1980 Chevy Scottsdale K10. Open class — Scott Egstrom, first, 1955 Studebaker; Scott Smith, second, 1947 Jeep Willys. Buick/Olds/Pontiac class — Rick and Bonnie Vander Vorst, first, 1956 Oldsmobile ‘88 Holiday; Anthony Kocher, second, 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Motorcycle class — Rick Vander Vorst, first, 1993 Honda Shadow; Jack Johnson, second, 2013 Harley-Davidson Street Glide. Jeremiah Hurst’s 2024 Toyota GR86 was selected as the People’s Choice winner.
Check next week’s paper for tractor pull results.
