51st annual Bigfoot Jamboree Begins
by Judy Bushy,m Happy Camp. Labor Day weekend is usually time for Bigfoot Jamboree, but this year wasn’t usual!! Lightening fires started in the area weeks ago. Fires seemed around us in every direction, and having a possible evacuation warning, life goes on. They ask us to put a sprinkler on our roof and pack our bags! They will let us know if it gets closer. At Wednesday’s Community Meeting they said the Oak fire is about a mile and a half from central Happy Camp!!
The question was whether we’d have the 51st Annual Bigfoot Jamboree!! Graciously, the Eclipse Incident Command has said that they would share the park with us. It is like a tent city. Actually with Happy Camp having a population of about 1200 and the Fire Camp of the Fire Fighters is about the same number. Bringing numbers in that equal the residents is interesting.
Fun Began
Fun began at the River Park at 6 PM when the Park opened for Beet booth, Concessions and vendor booths as well as Dan Effman at the grill cooking a steak dinner for those who came to the Kick off Dinner. (It was delicious) At the same time the Co-Ed Softball Tournament was to begin in Gail Zink Memorial Baseball Field. After a good steak dinner, the Junior Princesses Jessica Lantow, Emily Mattson and Abigail Rhodes as well as the Bigfoot Princesses Kara Brink and Nikki Harrison were escorted to the stage for the crowning of each 2017 queen.
Kara Brink was crowned Bigfoot Queen while Jessica Lantow was crowned the 2017 Junior Queen. Alan Dyar was the announcer and after the first dance, the queens took raffle tickets to him to announce the winners of the Grand prizes, $200, $100 and a chainsaw, and then a big variety of gift certificates and gifts donated by businesses and others in support of the Bigfoot Queen Contest. A & M Premier Entertainment provided dance with karaoke at the pavilion until the park closed at 11 pm.
Saturday Fun
Saturday the park opened with beer booth and other concessions. At noon and it was Kids “Day at the Park with inflatable’s, a water slide obstacle course and bounce house. This fun for the kids was sponsored by Clinic Pharmacy, Karuk TANF, Sheriff Lopey Foundations, Double J & Pizza House and the KTHA, and Siskiyou Telephone. The First 5 had an event for the little ones too, Tots Fun Day for kids 5 and under.
Games & Vendors
If you were hungry with the festivities, there was Sushi and Fried Rice or India Mack’s Indian Tacos to satisfy your hunger. There were crocheted, leather, jewelry, wood crafts to appreciate. Throwing a baseball seemed to attract a line of contestants. The Ambulance Crew ran the Dime Toss Game. Fire T-Shirts in various sizes and colors were also available. The Happy Camp Chamber had books of local interest available and Dan Sheets shared his carving, not only on wood and elk horn, and glass. A rattlesnake walking stick that had been transformed from a Madrone curly stick found in the forest was amazing. Face painting, toys and fun for the kids demonstrated their amazing energy!!
Dancing
The part of the day I most enjoyed was the Dancing Toes Youth Recital. After that, music was the theme of the rest of the evening with open Karaoke and then the Saturday Night Dance with The Roadsters.