After a year of uncertainty, the 78th annual Hutchinson Jaycee Water Carnival returned with many of its traditional activities. It was a week of almost perfect weather and plenty of community involvement.
Commodore Jon Beach and his wife and First Mate Laura stepped up for the second year and served as festival leaders with assistance from Vice Commodore Ryan Elbert and his wife and Second Mate Sam.
Activities started Tuesday night with the third annual Disc Golf Tournament at Ridgewater College. Thursday night saw activities at West River Park with the boat parade, live music by Andy Austin and fireworks. More than 20 boats participated in the parade with the Hutchinson Youth Theatre Association earning first place for its salute to past musical productions. Also joining in the festivities were the royal family, past commodores, past Mr. Hutchinsons as well as queen candidates and junior royalty candidates.
It wouldn’t be Water Carnival without the Teddy Bear Band. This longtime community favorite returned Friday and played rock ‘n’ roll favorites under a hot noon sun. People cooled off with dips in the fountain and free ice cream treats courtesy of Hutchinson Health.
The Hutchinson High School Auditorium was the place to be Friday night for the Queen Pageant. This is the time when the candidates answer questions and showcase their talents to the judges and audience. It’s also the place where the new Mr. Hutchinson and Hutchinson Woman of the Year are announced. This year’s recipients were Tim Sanken and Becky Felling. To learn more about them, see the story on A1.
Saturday dawned early with the Tiger Time Challenge. This is the first time this event had been partnered with the Water Carnival. It worked because a crowd of about 200 turned out for the 3-mile obstacle race, which benefits the ISD 423 Foundation.
From there, action returned to West River Park for Community Day. This event combined the popular kiddie day activities with additional events ranging from live music by Josie Sanken and a live show by Tricia and the Toonies, plus bounce houses, a dunk tank and food trucks.
Zoey Fox was crowned junior queen and Maddox Martig was chosen as junior commodore. Rounding out the junior royalty candidates were Ava Flann, Blade Retzlaff, Matilyn Winter and Weston Schmidt.
As many people said when the weather forecast was issued for Sunday’s Grande Day Parade, “It wouldn’t be the Water Carnival without some water.” Predictions ranged from 1/2 inch to thunderstorms. Fortunately, only a gentle rain passed through, so the parade went on as planned. While umbrellas and tent awnings were in evidence along the parade route, it didn’t seem to dampen enthusiasm.
Next up was the Queen Coronation once again at the high school. Jon and Laura Beach passed commodore and first mate duties on to Ryan and Sam Elbert, while Elbert announced his picks for vice commodore and second mate — Don and Jodi DeMeyer. Also announced were the winners of Miss Congeniality Macy Ellis and the talent winner, Abi Reiter.
Stepping up to announce the new royalty were Queen Erika Tillmann, who crowned Miss Hutchinson Madalyn Prokosch, and Abigail Riewer who honored Princess Maddie Fitzgerald.
The evening ended with a cavalcade of color when fireworks exploded over the Crow River. After a year hiatus, it was a bang-up ending for the Hutchinson Jaycee Water Carnival.
