While music lovers danced and swayed to Texas music, hundreds lined up at the carnival rides, which were running at full capacity.
It was a major change over the night before when rain wouldn’t let up. Saturday morning, cloudy skies and rolling thunder made festival organizers a little skittish. But by the afternoon rain jackets were being shed and long sleeves were rolled up in preparation for the Texan sun.
The aroma of funnel cakes, corn dogs and freshly made lemonade put you in the festival mood immediately.
Vendors lined the streets selling everything from garden signs and handmade jewelry to deep frieded pickles.
Noah’s Way petting zoo from Salado had children and adults alike enthralled. The most popular was a big red Australian kangaroo. “He’s so soft,” Megan Tyler said. The 6-year-old fed the kangaroo as its claws hugged her arms. “He loves me mommy,” she squealed in delight.
Two-year-old Keegan Warren from Troy showed no fear as he looked the goats, deer and llama in the eye to see if they were worthy of a pat. Out with his mother for the day, it was hard to figure which one was enjoying the animals more.
Krislynn Munoz, 5, of Belton was a huge fan of the kangaroo, following every move he made. “He’s friendly and let me pet him. I’d like one for a pet,” she said.
The Ring-of-Fire was one of the more popular carnival rides, mostly filled with tweens and teens and the occasional mom and dad who were dragged on half-heartedly at the insistence of children. Riders are seated in a cage as the ride rocks back and forth until it builds its way up to doing 360 degrees around the ring.
“I was about to puke,” Daniel Washington of Killeen said. “When we sat up the top, when we were upside down, I could feel the blood rush to my head. We stayed up there a long time. I don’t think I will go on it again.”
Sixteen-year-old Frances Lyle rode the ring three times in a row - much to his mother’s dismay.
“I don’t know where he gets it from. It must be his father - it certainly isn’t me,” Caryn Lyle said.
Grandfather Bob Prewitt sat by the Kidfish Pond and watched as five of his six grandchildren tried to catch a fish.
The grandchildren from two families were there with granddad while their fathers are in Iraq. “It’s great being out with the grandkids,” Prewitt said as he watched over Austin Pollard, 5, of Killeen.
The boy leaned over the tank trying to get the food into one of the catfish’s mouths. “I can’t remember him being this still for so long,” Prewitt said.
Earlier in the day the Best Bloomin’ Burger competition was canceled because of rain. The event involved local restaurants battling it out for burger recipe supremacy. It will be held at a later date.
