The weekend was chilly, but Woodland Park in Portage was warm and cozy, and full of fun, with Elvis all over the building. It was the 23rd year for the Elvis Fantasy Fest, which has been our biggest and best Special Olympics fund-raiser all these years.
From noon Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday, there was crooning and hip swinging, and fun and food.
Friday night’s concert featured the impersonators who are the best at singing just like (well, almost like) Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, and of course, Elvis Presley. A delicious turkey dinner was served by the great volunteer parents and coaches, and that kept all the warmth inside.
Saturday started on a high note with athletes from every Special Olympics sport coming on stage to remind the audience why this fantastic festival has taken place for so many years, and to show off some of their medals.
Glenda Ketterman, an athlete who has been involved for 30-plus years, was proud to let everyone know that she is now an athlete leader, and helps coach bocce, as well as chaperone younger athletes. The largest sports program in the world is alive and well, and so are the songs that Elvis made popular that span generations.
In fact, I think Elvis was in the building — on shirts, CDs, jackets, books, jewelry, hats and even hair. His gospel renditions are still especially smooth. Sunday, for the finale, when the athletes marched in to the sounds of Elvis impersonators singing “Glory, glory, hallelujah,” there were more than a few damp eyes, as the end of the fest is the beginning of another year of joy and competition for hundreds of these special young men and women.
Thank you so very much to all the many volunteers who gave their time for this wonderful weekend (especially parents who were there from dawn to midnight), for the kind and caring sponsors, for the Portage administration, for the impersonators and contest tribute artists who had everyone swooning, for Kay Lipps (who is a special blessing) for starting it all in 1995, and Jason and Adam Sherry for keeping it alive and swinging, and especially for the athletes whose “Specialness” is catching. You are all my pet persons of the week.
The difference in the temperature and wind velocity this past week reminds us that the north winds will blow and we will have snow. Students in the Porter County Career and Technical Center automotive classes are ready to help you make sure that your vehicle is healthy enough to face the change in the weather.
Class members will be at the Career Center at Franklin Street and Evans Avenue in Valparaiso from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to give your car its winter checkup. It is an annual gift from the instructors, Karl Sickle and Tony Avalos, and their students so that, if something needs further work, you’ll know it before your car conks out in the middle of nowhere. Thanks for helping to keep us safe, auto students.
It seems like each year, our garage becomes home to “stuff” that we don’t know what to do with. The Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County is offering everyone an opportunity to get rid of any hazardous waste, such as batteries, light bulbs, anti-freeze, old paint, pesticides or kerosene that has been sitting around too long.
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Residents can bring such waste to the Expo Center, 215 E. Division Road, off Indiana 49, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Old medications are also accepted — and, just as a reminder, every police department will always accept expired medications any time. Appliances and electronics are not being accepted for this hazardous-waste day.
Call 219-465-3694 or go to www.itmeanstheworld.org for a list of the kind of materials being accepted. Then, when you’ve got your car all checked out and your waste junk gone, I hope you have a great day because you deserve it. Thanks for reading. Fly your flag.
Lorrie Woycik is a freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune.