Festival-goers experienced some great family fun at the Coral Days Festival in downtown Coral last weekend. It was the 7th year as a weekend celebration, from what began as a one-day community event. The festival, sponsored by the Coral Fire Department, took place Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26.  There were numerous activities planned for young and old, single and families alike.

The Friday before, the annual Coral Days Pageants was held at the Coral Community Center, with Nichole Franken winning the crown for the 2010 Miss Coral. The new Junior Miss is Melaina Wykes and Prince & Princess are Hunter Merlington and Brooke Chapin. The Grand Marshals, Mr. & Mrs. Dean Larson were introduced during this time also.

A car & bike show kicked off the festival and had the largest number of cars & bikes attending since the event began. Local Fire Departments came for the annual Firemen’s Water Battles and was a lot of fun to watch.

Coral Cowden Lake Bible Academy started Saturday’s events with a free pancake breakfast. There was 3 on 3 basketball, horseshoe and volleyball tournaments going on in the park, along with the craft and flea market vendors displaying their wares. With sirens blaring and crowds cheering, the grand parade made its way through town, with a variety of floats. Rusty the Clown was painting faces & creating balloon animals for the kids. Firemen were busy grilling brats and hotdogs, while Chari Miles entertained as folks were eating. Pedal Tractor Pulls showed children testing their strength and the Soapbox Races had future NASCAR drivers racing their cars! In between, the “Fun for all Ages” was in full swing with hometown games and contests.

“We were very excited to have The Stolen Horses Band come back to perform for us in the evening with a free concert in the park,” said festival director Kristy Stevenson. “These guys are seasoned musicians who have performed shows with many national acts and two of their songs are currently being played on country radio.” Folks brought their lawn chairs and enjoyed the concert. Concluding the celebration at dark was the annual Firemen’s Night Parade of Lights.

“With the help and generosity of volunteers throughout the community, Coral had another successful festival,” said Stevenson. “Thank you to everyone who helped put it together and make it all happen.”