Active Saturday in Decatur

Blast from the past
Active Saturday in Decatur
Horse, car shows, fishing tournament among day’s events
By Bayne Hughes

Ariel Cole finished off her horse’s Saturday morning bath by kissing him on the nose. Struttin’ Again reacted with a couple of nods of his head, and that’s the way they finished off their preparations for Saturday night’s horse show at Morgan County Celebration Arena in Priceville.

It was one of many events on a very active Saturday in the Decatur area.

A national fishing tournament with music, a car show benefit and softball tournament also made for a bustling community this weekend for visitors and local residents.

“This definitely has been an above-average day for the number of events going on in our community,” said Tami Reist, Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau president.

Balmy weather made it a perfect day for outings until the afternoon thunderstorms rolled through. The day’s 10-mph winds kept high temperatures around 90 degrees.

It was a quiet morning at Celebration Arena where horse owners were preparing for the Racking Horse Mid-Summer Classic. Randy and Becky Siniard, Shannon Cole and Ariel Cole came from Temple, Ga., to enter four horses.

“We’ve been here almost two weeks,” Randy Siniard said.

Ariel, 17, said most of the work occurs the day of the show. Struttin’ Again needed the bath because he had a short morning workout.

The horse owners also prepared their horse tack and cleaned their performance clothes if needed.

“One of the things I enjoyed about walking horse is getting to dress up,” said Ariel, who also competes in barrel racing.

The largest of the area events was the Bassmaster Elite Series Dixie Duel tournament in Ingalls Harbor. The event included the Family Music Jam Fest for visitors’ enjoyment.

The crowd was small for Saturday’s opening Jam Fest act while the fishermen were on the water, but Reist said she expected the numbers to grow. The free jam will continue today at noon. She said she expected close to 8,000 for the final weigh-in at 3:15 p.m. today and the Colt Ford concert at 7 tonight.

Across town, Wayne Hurt was showing off his white 1951 Ford Convertible in the third annual Rollin’ on the River car show at Decatur Mall.

“We considered putting a tent up, but it’s been a little breezy and we didn’t want it to end up on one of the cars,” Hurt said.

Hurt, a Decatur resident, was one of more than 100 car enthusiasts participating in the Habitat for Humanity benefit. Organizers were hoping to raise close to $15,000. He said he and his wife, Annie, frequent the local car show circuit.

“We enjoy the camaraderie,” Hurt said. “Old car enthusiasts are good lot.”

While Hurt prefers the antique cars, owners were also showing off their modified muscle cars. The car show offered more than cool vehicles. Vendors sold items like homemade jewelry, soy candles, ice cream and food.

Ron and Barbara Terry of Somerville said they planned to attend the car show. They were taking photos of the vehicles they liked.

“We both enjoy seeing the different cars and visiting with owners,” Ron Terry said.

At nearby Wilson Morgan Park, 16 Cook’s Pest Control teams from throughout the state were playing in the corporate softball tournament.

Jacob Ford, 21, said his Montgomery team was eliminated in two games, but he and his family enjoyed his visit. They particularly enjoyed Cook’s company party Friday evening at Point Mallard Aquatics Center.

“It’s nice up here,” Ford said. “The weather has been great. My 3-year-old and 15-month-old loved playing in the water.”