Swartz Creek Hometown Days

2008

Rides & Games

There were a number of rides and games this year including the carousel, the zipper, throwing darts or baseballs, and the Farris Wheel just to name a few.

There was also good food, but ofcourse not good for you, there was elephant ears, cotton candy, pizza, lemonade, and chili cheese fries!!! As always there were free rides and elephant ears on Friday morning from 5:30- 8:00.

Hometown Days Parade

The parade this year did not disappoint this year with a never ending parade!! Well, it did end but it was really really long, which was good, because that means there was all this cool stuff to see and all the more sweet stuff to eat!!! Someone was even handing out water!!! The High School's Dragon Marching Band played songs by Jimi Hendrix and the Middle School Marching band was great. During the parade there was also a colonial marching band and a bagpipe marching band. Here's some information I thought people might want to know: if you want to hear the band then don't sit in front of the funeral home the band doesn't play there just incase there is a funeral going on there. There were quite a few tractors in the parade this year with many different colors and types. Swartz Creek's Pom and Cheerleading teams were doing their thing in the parade and were quite awesome.

Car Show

This years car show had 27 registered cars for the  show, but there were more then that. There were all different kinds of cars from ancient to brand new and of course all different colors shapes and sizes! If cars are your thing you should definitely check it out next year.

Some Cool Things

The extreme Canine show was definitely for all ages this year at Hometown Days. The show uses trained rescue dog to do their stunning and funny tricks they even have the dogs do jump rope! There was also a baby contest the oldest aloud were 24 months, so be ready next year for your babe's chance to win!! Some cool things for teens this year was the bull ride and the dunk tank. Now the bull ride was fun because you could show off or just watch as other were thrown off for a laugh. Now the fun of the dunk tank is simple you hit the button they fall in you laugh! There was a lovely duck race except I think we lost a lot of good rubber duckies out there! One thing new this year is Guitar Hero, something I'm not particularly good at but all the kids seemed to like it. It was in one of the entertainment tents. Every year there's a rock wall that you can climb (if you pay 10.00) and it's more worth it the younger you are. The first time I climbed it I was 14 and it took me a whole minute, so if your a good climber I would save your money and stick to climbing trees but on the other hand if your not then the rock wall can help you with a safe and successful climb.

Pie Eating Contest

Now for all you pie lovers out there, there was a pie eating contest and even if your not participating it's still fun to watch and root for your favorite. There were three divisions this year being elementary school, middle school, and high school/adults. Many kids tried their skill at pie eating and even if they didn't win I am sure that eating the pie was good enough a prize.

 Blue ribbon is 1st, red is 2nd, and white is 3rd.

Lamas, Goats, Cows and More

At  field there was a pony ride and petting zoo. At the petting zoo there were lamas, goats, camels, cows, kangaroos, rams, and sheep. you could feed the animals with this handy dandy ice cream cone full of feed for a dollar and carrots for two dollars for the animals!

2007

All Photographs copyright 2007 Diane L. Green Photography LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Swartz Creek Hometown Days

 As always the parade started at the high school and then ended at Saint Mary's, where the shoulders of the road were packed on both sides. This year's parade did not disappoint with the high school band playing Jimi Hendrix, the fire trucks with their horns as loud as ever, the never ending row of tractors, and lets not forget the Shriners in the tiny cars doing all sorts of tricks. The carnival it self was just as exciting with dart throwing, picking rubber duckies for the younger kids, the zipper, and my personal favorite, the Farris Wheel. Other activities included the car show where there were over 127 cars, a bull ride, a pie eating contest and much more.

Diane L. Green Photography LLC in Swartz Creek Announces 2009 Senior Model Search

Diane L. Green Photography LLC of Swartz Creek my want you. For the first time their photography studio is providing an open senior modeling competition to area high school juniors of the the 2007-2008 school year. Previously the studio had invited only students they knew personally to participate. Diane explains " This year we have had a great deal of interest from parents and seniors about how we choose our models for advertising. While we are local to Swartz Creek and have concentrated our advertising and service on the Swartz Creek community we have had seniors from Grand Blanc, Linden, Bentley, Kearsley, Flushing, Mt. Morris, Durand, Flint, Carmen-Ainsworth and Fenton this year. It was very surprising since we hadn't advertised in any of those areas directly. As we are seeing students from those schools we wanted to include them as well. The idea of a model search just seemed logical. We have had a lot of fun and success photographing this years models at Dow Gardens and Mackinac Island. We have already planned next years locations at Dow Gardens, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Grand Haven and down town Chicago."  Students interested in becoming a model for the studio must have parental consent, and submit an application (available at their website) along with one head and shoulder and one full length snap shot. "We are looking for a cross-section of students for our 2009 advertising that represent the many different styles students express today." If you are interested in becoming a senior model for the studio you can visit their website at www.dg-pics.com/seniors.html or contact the studio by phone at 810-496-3498.

The 2007 Hometown Days Parade

From marching bands to clowns and banners to giant shopping carts the 2007 annual Hometown days parade on Saturday June 2nd was one of the largest Swartz Creek has seen. Diane L. Green Photography LLC, The official photographer of Hometown Days was on hand to capture each entry. Enjoy the parade again or if you were in the parade enjoy it for the first time. Know someone living out of town that enjoyed our parade in the past? Drop them an e-mail and let them know about this page.

Want a high resolution photo of your parade entry? Call Diane L. Green Photography LLC at 810-496-3498. 

City of Swartz Creek Receives Gift from Hometown Days.

Monday evening June 11th the Hometown Days committee was invited to city chambers for a formal presentation. 2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the Hometown Days festival and during the Mayor's bash at Hometown Days the committee had called all attending city members on stage to receive a photo depicting the bond between the city and the festival. Monday night the committee appeared at the regular city meeting at the request Mayor Richard Abrams to formally present the gift to the city. Upon recognizing committee chairman Larry Bush, Mr. Bush then called all attending Hometown Days committee members and asked Tonya Ketzler HTD operations officer to introduce each. With the Hometown Days committee on one side and the City Council on the other Mr. Bush presented the framed art work to Mayor Abrams stating that of all of Hometown Days sponsors and volunteers the City of Swartz Creek has by far been one of the festivals largest supporters. The framed photo symbolized the bond between the two groups showing the "Welcome to the City of Swartz Creek" arch at the corner of Miller and Morrish Roads framing a carnival carousel behind. The framed and signed piece is the work of local photographic artist John Green from Diane L. Green Photography in Swartz Creek. After the presentation council members gave the art to Mr. Adam Zettle assistant city manager to be displayed in city hall.

Swartz Creek Mayor Richard Abrams and Hometown Days Chairman Larry Bush shake hands Monday night at the presentation of an art piece showing the bond between the city and the Hometown Days Festival.

Postcards featuring the "Swartz Creek Arch and Carousel" art of John Green will be available July 1, 2007 at Diane L. Green Photography LLC. 

Rain Doesn't Stop Hometown Days.

Swartz Creek's annual Hometown Days festival may have had a larger turnout if the rain hadn't hampered festivities but rain or no rain the festival continued. While Saturday evenings spot shows sent visitors running for cover until they passed Sundays down pour brought the midway to a complete halt. The weather service reported about 1 and 1/2 inches of rain on Sunday but some Swartz Creek backyard rain gages held almost 3 and 1/2 inches. At the field were events such as the Baby contest, ice cream social, commercial tent and Christian concert were being held a light rain in the morning had limited the number of contestants in the baby contest and ice cream social. As a side note ice cream tastes just as good in the rain as in the sunshine. As the day went on the sky grew darker and shortly before the Christian concert was about to begin the heavens opened up with a down pour. Within minutes the field was not only wet its was soggy. Water rolled into the east end of the commercial tent and pooled turning venders table areas into an ankle deep swamp. The entertainment tent where the Christian concert was about to be held saw water wash in the front side of the tent and out the back leaving behind several large puddles under the tent. Just getting to the tent became a event in itself as most of the field from the front to the back had water laying on it from 1 to 6 inches deep. Larry Bush chairman of Hometown Days quickly came up with a plan using the committee's golf carts to pick up concert goers at the front of the field and deliver them to the concert tent in the back. Splashing through puddles and powering through mud bugs became common place as the thru-ways quickly turned to a muddy soup. It may have been wet and muddy but for most us at Hometown Days, we had a good time.

Mayor's Bash A Good Time At Hometown Days.

Thursday evening May 31st the Hometown Days committee hosted a party in the entertainment tent for Swartz Creek Mayor Richard Abrams. This invitation only event featured a full meal provided courtesy of Mr. Brown's Backyard Bar & Grill of Flint. After dinner Hometown Days committee chairman Larry Bush acknowledged the hard work of committee chairs and called on the city council and Mayor Abrams to join him on stage. In what Larry called "Hometown Days greatest sponsor" the City of Swartz Creek was recognized  for their years of continued support to this annual event. During the recognition the Hometown Days committee presented the city council with a framed  and signed photograph that symbolized the spirit of the event. The photo by local photographer Diane L. Green Photography showed the "Welcome to the City of Swartz Creek" arch on Miller road with a beautiful carousel behind, showing the bond between both the City and The Hometown Days event. After the presentation a birthday cake was brought forward and presented to Mayor Abrams.

The Baby Contest.

While this years baby contest had a few less entries do to the on again off again pattern of rain on Sunday the selection of winners was no less difficult for the judges. Four age groups 0-6 months, 7-12 months, 13-18 months and 19-24 months competed for an array of prizes including savings bonds from Sage Link and free photos from Diane L. Green Photography in Swartz Creek. The annual event held at hometown days in the kid zone tent attracts the cutest babies dressed in their finest. All I can say about this event is that I am glad I am not a judge. Hard jobs are abundant but I think judging a baby contest is almost impossible. See if you agree with the judges decisions below.

Winners in the 0-6 month category.

Winners in the 7-12 month category.

Winners in the 13-18 month category.

Winners in the 19-24 month category.

Swartz Creek Idol Contest a Popular Attraction.

From elementary through high school and beyond. In Mark Grantham's case way beyond. For the last several years the Swartz Creek Idol contest has only been open to Swartz Creek students from elementary to high school. This year however an addition of an open category was made where anyone want to perform had the opportunity to compete. If your were looking for some interesting live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights you only needed look in the kid's zone tent sponsored by Sage Link where contestants showed off there talent. Up for grabs were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place plaques along with cash prizes and 2 hours of recording time in a real sound studio to the first place winner of each of the school age categories. In the open category plaques and bragging rights for the next year. So whom did the judges select as Swartz Creek's singing elite?

Natalie Sevick 2nd place winner, Chris Day 3rd place winner and Jenna Grantham 1st place winner in the high school level stop and display their plaques from the Swartz creek Idol Contest. All three were seniors at Swartz Creek High School until their graduation at Tuesday nights commencement.

Cruzin' in the Creek.

Saturday afternoon June 2nd Swartz Creek Hometown Days saw  a wide variety of classic, antique and custom hot rods cruise onto the lawns beside Fortino drive. For several years the car cruise has been at the other end of town during Hometown Days but this year organizers moved the location. Following the parade festival goers had the opportunity to view and vote on their favorite entry. Originally the show was slated to be open until 6PM however mother nature had other ideas. As a brief rain cloud passed many of the entries pulled out to get their babies back to the protection of a garage. By 4PM awards were given out and the show closed early just as a heavier band of rain fell. Swartz Creek looks forward to next years cruise and better weather. Congratulations to this years winners from the staff of Swartzcreekweek.com.

Friday Morning Free Rides.

Friday June 1st from 5:30-7:30AM Swartz Creek Hometown Days with the help of Arnold Amusements offered the kids of Swartz Creek something different to do before school. Ride the rides of the midway for free. For two full hours the Midway on Morrish road was open while kids from kindergarten thru high school showed up in record number to take advantage of free elephant ears and ride as many times as they could before going to school. CK 105.5 FM was on hand and broadcasting live from the event. While most students showed up between 5:30 and 6:00 am some hard core ride enthusiasts had been waiting since a quarter of 5:00 not wanting to miss a single moment of ride time. Its was just amazing to see some 1500 or so people in downtown Swartz Creek at that time of the morning. And what do 1500 students out for fun in the early morning hours look like? Have a look below. See anyone you know?

CK 105.5 broadcasting live from Friday mornings free rides midway at Swartz Creek Hometown days.

Fireworks Fires up Crowd!

Friday evening Swartz Creek residents filled the stands, lawn and parking lot at the high school for an opportunity to watch the annual Hometown Days fireworks show sponsored by Hank Graff in Durand. Not only was this one of the best fireworks shows Swartz Creek has seen those in attendance were given the chance to win prizes after the show just for coming into the stadium. Prizes ranged from Roses, gift certificates from The Sun Shack, Curves of Swartz Creek and Nitro Fitness to the top prize of airline tickets from Jet Blue for two and a weeks parking at Flint's Bishop Airport. And how many showed up for this event? Well if it were football season you would have thought it was homecoming. Spectators filled the home side seating, visitors seating and lawn areas while still others watched from their cars in the parking lot. All in all, this was one of the best organized turnouts Swartz Creek has had for what is truly a spectacular fireworks display. Just take a look at the highlights.

And our GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS........

Mike MacDonald presents The 2007 Hometown Days Fireworks Grand Prize to the winner.

Hometown Days Sets up!!!

Starting Tuesday morning Swartz Creek's annual festival Hometown Days began setting up. Raising tents on the field and pre-staging carnival rides was just the beginning. Wednesday morning the action moved out onto Morrish road as the road was closed and rides began being moved into position. By Wednesday night the animal show was set up and early pre-viewers could be seen sneaking a peak at a wide range of animals including goats, sheep, camels, alpacas, kangaros and more. This years festival is shaping up to be one of the best and largest ever produced by the hometown days committee. The commercial tent has been booked to overflowing, there are more midway rides this year and as for entertainment plan to get a seat early. The Rowdy Rooster puppet show, Timber show, an Animal Petting Zoo, Swartz Creek Idol Contest, Classic Car show, The Baby Contest, and a Sunday Ice Cream Social are all FREE. The festival has even managed to find a tank and a duce and a half that will be on display up by the fire hall in front of the new veterans memorial. Want more? The entertainment tent has bands booked nightly along with your favorite beverage. For the seniors in our community the senior tent will once again be hosting a wide variety of events from card games to dancing and a little of everything in between. With all that going on lets not forget Friday night fireworks. This year its a lot more than just fireworks at the high school football field, its a chance to win more than $5000.00 in prizes just for showing up. And the parade is even larger than last year. To say the least our Hometown Days festival has grown and this year promises to be one to remember. If you can't make it to the festival on all of the days keep checking back here for daily updates and photo galleries. Know someone who loved Hometown days but has moved out of town? Send them this website address and them see it for themselves. See you at the Festival. 

Swartz Creek Hometown Days what to expect!

 Ready for a sneak peak at what to expect?

The Carnival Midway is back again this year with over 20 different rides. Two of the rides are new this year and haven't been seen at Hometown Days before! Come and enjoy the thrills.

The Classic car show will move up town this year and be located along Fortino drive.

The Annual Hometown Days Parade kicks off at 11:00 AM from the High School. Come and enjoy this Swartz Creek Tradition. From the High School Marching Band to the Fire Engines at the end this is one entertainment you don't want to miss.

See Swartz Creek from the air! Helicopter rides will be available this year for only $25.00 per person. If you have never been in a helicopter before this is a wonderful opportunity to try it out. Ever wonder what Swartz Creek looks like from the air? Wonder what your neighbor has been building behind that fence? Wonder what the High School looks like from the air? Here is your chance to find out. Helicopter rides will be available, weather permitting, starting on Friday evening and continuing through Sunday. Get a ride and see the town.

New this year is the Rowdy Rooster Puppet Show.

A petting zoo.

And a lumberjack show featuring exhibits of chain saw carving, cross cut sawing and speed axes, axe throwing and log rolling. You've seen lumberjack shows on TV now see it live at Swartz Creek Hometown days.

The Idol contest is back and the Baby contest will be held at 11:00 AM on Sunday. Events are scheduled for Seniors in the Senior tent all weekend and the Commercial tent will feature a variety of Swartz Creek area business's. Don't forget the Entertainment tent with bands and liquid refreshment through Saturday Night. The Christian Concert has moved this year to the Entertainment tent on Sunday.

Fireworks Friday night at the High School Football Field. Not only is this the best viewing area for the fireworks display but everyone entering the football field will be entered for a door prize drawing to be awarded and yes you have to be present to win. 

Copyright © 2006-2007 Swartz Creek Week. All Rights Reserved. An online publication of Diane L. Green Photography LLC.

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