By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Summer fun has officially arrived. The Fourth of July Holiday is in the books, and the Barton County Fair follows from July 5-9. Right after that, the Ellinwood After Harvest Festival begins on Thursday, July 13. AHF Committee Co-Chair Nancy Baird said the festival begins in the water with cardboard boat races at the Ellinwood City Pool that Thursday at 9 a.m.
"The Ellinwood City Pool, they organize and they do all that," she said. "They do such an awesome job. The pool is just a huge gem in our community. We're lucky to have such a wonderful staff and pool in our community."
Fun continues in downtown Ellinwood Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. with the community barbecue that features free barrel train rides, jumbo yard games, face painting, and inflatables. Baird reminds everyone that the After Harvest Festival is a family-friendly event made possible by various sponsors. "We try to offer a lot of things that families can do together, and we try to offer those at basically no cost," she said.
New this year is Family Fun Bingo at the Ellinwood Community Library on Friday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m. Library Director Sheri Holmes helped organize the event, and Wayne and Terry DeWerff will call the old-fashioned game with bingo slide cards. Area businesses have donated prizes for the game.
"That's fun for all ages," Baird said. "Whether you've got young grandkids that are staying with you, or you're somebody that doesn't really want to be out in the heat and would love to find an air-conditioned activity, or maybe you're a senior citizen and you're looking for something to do with a group of your friends. This will be a perfect activity for that."
Baird also reminded festival fans to get their 50th-anniversary t-shirts ahead of the big event. A limited quantity of shirts are available at Sunflower Bank and Peoples Bank and Trust in Ellinwood during regular business hours.