Family Festival 2011 - Part 1

Every year over the 4th of July (or weekend closest to the 4th) ILNC puts on a three day Family Festival to celebrate our freedom and our families being together.  This has been a tradition for over 25 years.  When it started we tried to bring our boys up to the campground to visit their grandparents, and to take part in the festivities.  


As they left home, married, moved to other states, we made it a family tradition to set aside those first few days in July to all meet at Indian Lake Nazarene Campground.  No matter where we lived in the United States, July 4th was the time for us to come together to celebrate that we are family, and to be grateful for our freedom.  I think this may be the first year that our sons are not here, just our granddaughters...but at least we have the girls!!


Family Festival activities kicked off yesterday morning at 8:30 at the ILNC Breakfast Buffet at the Dining Hall.  Prior to that there had been a 5K walk/run (which we did not participate in...perhaps in future years).  After breakfast there was a Bike Around the Lake, which we also did not do, nor were we involved in the Volley Ball and Basketball Tournaments, nor the Dodge Ball Tournament.  Instead, the girls chose to spend their time in the Craft Barn painting ceramics....something they've been doing for two weeks, but love it enough to keep starting new projects.  I bought a small shelf unit just to display their ceramics, and it's already overloaded!!  Oh, we did go to garage sales on the grounds also...didn't get much.


While Big Sis stayed at the Craft Barn, Little Princess chose to go on the Extreme Obstacle Course (inflatable), play Air Ball (another inflatable), and do the Quad Bungee Bounce.  She was too small to do the Bumper Cards, and chose not to do the Climbing Wall and Zip Line.  She also rode a toy tractor in the Kiddie Car Races.


It was so hot yesterday...93, with a heat index of 102.  We kept drinking water, and finding places in the shade, and riding around with Grandpa on the golf cart to cool off.  Our lunch was at the Snack Bar.  Other events we did not participate in was the Indy 5oo Golf Cart Race, the Horseshoe Tournament, and the Outside Family Flick after dark.  Oh...Big Sis did go on the Zip Line twice in the afternoon.  Flying through the air was another fine way to cool off!.  We went to Vicksburg to Jaspare's Pizza for supper.  The girls ordered spaghetti, while we had a pizza.


The other event that we did participate in, thanks to Big Sis, was enter Tuxedo and Miss Kefli (our two small black dogs) in the Dog & Pet Show.  They were dressed for the occasion (hat for Keflie, scarf for Tux), and they performed some tricks (speak, play dead, sit, shake).  They ended up winning a red ribbon for second place!  They were very hot, though, and needed to get back into air conditioning.  


After supper I went to the Smith and Smith oldies, but goodies concert while the girls helped Grandpa prepare the tabernacle for this morning's service.  And it is time to head on out to service...so I will complete this in part 2, when Family Festival 2011 is over (Monday night).