It felt like 110 degrees outside and there was not a cloud in sight.
People watched in anticipation as the firemen began to hook up the various hoses to the fire truck.
After what seemed like an eternity for set up, the water combat competition was under way with water going in every direction. Kids were standing as close as they could to be drenched in the refreshing water.
The kickoff to the firetruck games brought everyone to the center of the action.
The Stroud, Agra, Prague fire departments and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office competed against each other. Two of the competitors for the sheriff’s office were a part of the Stroud Fire Department, which made them eligible to compete. Jacob Turner has been a firefighter for six or seven year now with the Prague Fire Department, and was a part of the team that won the water combat part of the competition.
“The dummy drag is probably the funnest out of all of them. One deal is that everybody gets together. The best part about it is getting everybody together,” Turner said. The Mother Road Fire Truck Show and Muster was a hit, but that was not the only event at Stroud’s first ever Stroud SummerFest.
The festival combined a wine festival, a car show, an arts event and Fire Truck games. In summers past, these events would have been scattered throughout the summer, but this year they decided to have it all rolled into one. This year, the events started at 10 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m.
This festival was a first, but it was also a first for Stroud Arts. David Timmons is the director of Neighborhood Enhancement for Stroud, and he is also actively involved with Stroud Arts.
“For this, it has been separate events, but it’s all been combined,” Timmons said. “We’ve had the wine festival for I think 12 or more years.
“I lose track, but they had a car show occasionally or not. So, the fire department, this is their third or fourth year for their fire truck games, and literally the first year for Stroud Arts to do any type of event on the street like this.