Decatur Chamber pulls off successful event

DECATUR — As the sun rose over the hills of Northwest Arkansas, a moderate breeze met participants as they waited for the start of the 5K and Fun Runs at Edmiston and Veterans Parks to begin a day-long Barbecue event in Decatur Aug. 7.

The pair of running events marked the return of the Decatur Barbecue, which was forced to cancel in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic. Because of the break, the event is the 67th in a long line of Decatur Barbecues which started with the Homecoming event in 1953.

At 7:30 a.m. runners and walkers of all ages lined up on the Veterans Park walking trail waiting for the start of the Fun Run which encompasses the entire mile-long trail. The Fun Run is the inaugural event for the walking trail which was completed July 29 with the installation of the Decatur Branch pedestrian bridge.

The word was given and the participants, one of which was in a stroller, were off and running (or walking).

As the last Fun Run participant crossed the finish line, 5K runners took to the start line located in the parking lot of the Edmiston Ball Park concession stand. Ladale Clayton, one of the organizers, climbed on board a three-wheeler and began rolling a few feet ahead of the runners, and the race was on. Forty-five minutes later, the last runner crossed the finish line located next to the old bridge on the north end of the park.

Jesus Echeverria took the gold in the junior high division with a time of 29.26. In the high school/ college division, Ryan Kotovcek took first place, while Bravlio Echeverria took second, Mason Criswell took third, Breightyn Criswell took fourth and Larami Shelley took fifth.

Evan Owens took first place in the adult division with a time of 23.08. Gretchen Brewer and Ty Hoffine tied for second place

with Crystal Shelley rounding out the medal winners with a bronze.

As the 5K and Fun Run awards ceremony was wrapping up, cars began to arrive at the Frisbee golf course near Pat Street. Within two hours, there were more than 30 classic cars, trucks, hot rods, modified cars and muscle cars scattered among the shade trees of Veterans Park.

At around 8 a.m, smoke began to rise over the Galley barbecue pits, marking the entrance of the star of the barbecue, the chicken. Ten chicken flipper volunteers, including a few Simmons’ and city of Decatur employees, began cooking the halves, getting them ready for sale at 10 a.m. Throughout the day, people lined up at the serving windows at the Bunkers and the drive-through, picking up a fast meal that included chicken, beans, chips and water. At the close of the day, the chicken dinners were gone.

At noon, the opening ceremony formally kicked off the barbecue. Mayor Bob Tharp gave his customary opening speech, welcoming everybody to the 67th barbecue event. Stanley Kaffka, with Living Water Ministries, gave the prayer. Lerami Shelley and her sister performed a duet of the National Anthem as members of Decatur’s Howard Parrish Veterans of Foreign Wars post raised Old Glory. After the pledge of allegiance, Tharp introduced this year’s parade grand marshal, Mike Eckels. Then Dwayne Craig took over the emcee duties for the remainder of the event.

Soon cars from the show began departing the display area bound for the car wash at Third Street for the formation of the parade through downtown Decatur. First responders, Miss Decatur Barbecue and Tiny Tot contestants and local residents eagerly formed the parade line as kids of all ages gathered along the two-mile parade route which ended at Veterans Park. When the time came, Grand Marshal Eckels gave the word to roll out and the parade was underway. Twenty minutes later, the last parade participant rolled into the park and the 67th Decatur Barbecue parade went into the history books.

Decatur basketball coach Dayton Shaw, with the help of some of his players, ran a dunking tank and the second annual cornhole tournament. When Toby Conrad, Decatur High School principal, climbed onto the seat above the tank, his students lined up for a chance to dunk their beloved administrator. Conrad was the only one that stayed cool through the 90-degree heat in the afternoon.

In the finals of the cornhole tournament, the team of Derrick Auffet and Shane Barnes took the championship over the Decatur Police Department team.

The day progressed quickly as the Miss Decatur Barbecue and Tiny Tot contestants took to the stage, followed by the Butler Creek Boys and headliner Wade Hayes.

But the event, which started with a beautiful sunrise and a gentle breeze, ended with a big bang, several big bangs in fact, as the Decatur Fire Department put on a 20-minute fireworks extravaganza, marking the end of the 67th Decatur Barbecue.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Parked under the shade of a lone tree, a line of cars was on display during the car show which was part of the 67th Decatur Barbecue at Veterans Park in Decatur Aug. 7. More than 30 cars, trucks, street rods and muscle vehicles were on display during the day-long event.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Toby Conrad, Decatur High School principal, slides off his seat and into the water after one of his students hit the target which set off a chain reaction that eventually ended with Conrad taking a dive. The dunk tank was part of the day long 67th Decatur Barbecue at Veterans Park in Decatur Aug. 7.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS A pair of chicken flippers remove the top grate to expose perfectly cooked chicken, the star of the 67th Decatur Barbecue at Veterans Park in Decatur Aug. 7. The chicken cooking crew began cooking the halves, donated by Simmons Foods, around 7 a.m., with the first orders coming in around 10 a.m.

Westside Eagle Observer/LADALE CLAYTON Mike Eckels, grand marshal, gives a big thumbs up as the 67th Decatur Barbecue parade rolls out of the car wash on the corner of Third and Main Streets on its way through downtown and ending at Veterans Park in Decatur Aug. 7.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS The grand finale of the fireworks display, capping off the 67th Decatur Barbecue, lights up the night sky at Veterans Park in Decatur Aug. 7. The Decatur Fire Department did the honor of setting off the spectator aerial display from the softball field at Edmiston Park.