Inspired by a similar event that took place in 1910, the Town of Kiowa renewed the tradition of a town street fair in 2009, and along the way, a few events have been added that were most likely not conceived of in the first decades of the 1900s.
The morning of June 25 began with the first Fear the Spear 5K Run and Walk sponsored by the Kiowa School Booster Club. The course began at the school. After crossing Highway 86, the runners made one lap of the track before winding their way through neighborhoods and back across Comanche Street. A final lap of the school’s parking lot stretched the route just enough for the course to reach the 5K mark.
Tina Metzgar, president of the Kiowa school booster club, said the proceeds from the $10 registration fee support athletics and other extracurricular activities.
“This is a new fundraising event we are trying out this year,” Metzgar said. “We’re a small group but we do as much as we can.”
Sixth-grader Tayden Wangrow turned in the fastest overall time of the day of 23:46, and Kristen Mcknight was the fastest girl, finishing second and just 30 seconds behind Wangrow. McKnight will also begin sixth grade this fall and runs both track and cross country at school.
Just as the runners were awarded their prizes, the street fair and car show was getting underway just down Comanche Street at AF Nordman Memorial Park.
In addition to the American heavy metal lined up on Navajo Street, 50 vendors filled the park for this year’s fair, offering home crafts, repurposed goods and novelty items. New this year was a DJ, and a magician was back for the kids.
Proceeds for the car show go to benefit the Kiowa Fire Department’s annual fireworks show. This year’s show is scheduled for about 9:15 p.m. July 4 at the county fairgrounds.
Hawk Quest returned to Nordman Park after taking a break from the street fair last year. The bird-of-prey rescue organization displayed three birds: a fully mature bald eagle, a great horned owl and a Harris Hawk.
Sheila Lang, who has volunteered at Hawk Quest over the last 23 years, said Native Americans called the Harris Hawk the wolves of the sky because of the propensity to hunt in groups. The hawks are indigenous to the Sonoran desert states of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.
