While the heavy rains Saturday put a damper on Summerfest, the
show went on at the Zippo/Case International Swap Meet and for the
Kids and Cancer Motorcycle Dice Run.
Officials said on Sunday that Summerfest events on Friday were a
success, with visitors from all over roaming the streets of
downtown Bradford, eating, shopping and having fun.
Main Street Manager Diane DeWalt said the Bradford Small
Business Association, headed by Mike Smith, also president of the
East Bradford Business Association, sponsored and organized
Summerfest.
Smith was not immediately available for comment Sunday night,
but reports indicate at least 4,000 people were downtown
Friday.
“Friday was a big success,” DeWalt said. The heavy rains on
Saturday, however, resulted in the cancellation of the events set
for the second day of Summerfest, she said.
DeWalt said the Bradford Area Business Group, a division of the
Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, sold commemorative Zippo
lighters on Veterans Square Friday while live music entertained
audience members on the square.
She also said the Downtown Bradford Business District Authority
had a booth on Chambers Street selling strawberry shortcakes, and
that “the attendance was amazing Friday evening.”
The DBBDA picked up the 90-year tradition in Bradford after the
local YWCA decided this year it would no longer be able to have its
annual YWCA Strawberry Festival.
Also on Friday, the Street Dreams Car Club and Bradford Township
Lions Club hosted a Car, Truck and Motorcycle show on Main Street.
The Hartle Brothers Band provided live music during the car show,
Street Dreams president Gary Hoy said. About 100 cars and 40
motorcycles participated in the show, Hoy said, adding it seemed to
him most of the participants were relatively local. Best of Show
went to Gary Southard of Duke Center for his 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air
hardtop.
“The crowd was just fantastic,” Hoy said. “There were lots and
lots of young people. Teenagers. We like to see that, because it
means there will be someone to carry this on.”
Although Summerfest was cut short this year, the Motorcycle Dice
Run to benefit Kids and Cancer, and the bi-annual Zippo/Case
International Swap Meet both went on as planned.
Dice Run organizers Dave Geitner and Ron Booth were both
unavailable Sunday night. It was unclear who won the drawing for
the 2006 Harley Davidson Fat Boy, or how many drivers participated
in the run. It was also unknown if the event coordinators raised
their goal of $75,000.
Proceeds from the dice run benefit Kids and Cancer, and funds
are reportedly administered locally through the Bradford Hospital
Foundation.
Also braving the rain Saturday, more than 8,000 people traveled
from across the globe to Bradford to “celebrate their love for two
American icons – Zippo lighters and Case knives,” according to
Zippo Retail Marketing Manager Kathy Jones.
Jones said in a press release Sunday that collectors enjoyed
demonstrations, contests, factory tours, fireworks and “trading
their Zippo and Case treasures with other collectors.”
About 325 Case Collectors Club members and 280 Zippo Click
Collectors Club members descended on Bradford Wednesday, kicking
off what has turned into a week-long bi-annual celebration of the
two brands.
Jones said more than 550 registered exhibitors and attendees set
up their exhibits Thursday. More than 400 Zippo and 450 Case
collectors were given a tour of the Zippo and Case factories, an
opportunity only available to them every other year during the Swap
Meet.
She said Zippo and Case enthusiasts enjoyed contests, special
book and collectible signings and demonstrations over the weekend.
And as for the torrential rain on Saturday, Jones said a Zippo
Click member better known by his online Zippo Click forum name,
“murdock,” said it best in the Click chat room.
“This was a great Swap Meet. I bought both books by our fellow
members Robin and Dana Baumgartner and Mike Grimaldi. I also bought
my second Paul Fleming lighter, and this one is in official Zippo
packaging. A little rain can’t dampen the Zippo flame!,” murdock
wrote.
Case Consumer Marketing Coordinator Fred Feightner said Sunday
the cutting competition at the Swap Meet was “really a spectacular
thing.”
“With all the rain Saturday morning, it didn’t look too
promising,” Feightner said about Swap Meet attendance, but added
more than 100 people attended the cutting competition alone.
Cutters from across the country were on hand to compete for a
first prize of $1,000, officials reported. Feightner said a world
record was set Saturday by the overall winner, Warren Osborne of
Waxahachie, Texas, when he cut through 13 bottles of water. Case
sponsored a competitor this year, John Fitch of Quentin, Ark., who
took fourth place, he said.
“Everybody had a great time,” he said. “It ended up being quite
a successful day (Saturday). We were all very pleased.”
