By Mandy McFarland Editor
WAKARUSA — Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy some fresh-air activities. This Saturday, June 14,  Wakarusa residents and visitors will have their choice of a variety of activities that will all take place at the same time throughout Wakarusa.
These include a bike rodeo at Wakarusa Elementary School, Steak in the Park at the downtown park, the annual antique car show in the downtown area and the annual Wakarusa Bluegrass Festival south of town.

Music fans are invited to the Wakarusa Bluegrass Festival at 66425 S.R. 19. This year’s lineup will include Audie Blaylock and Redline, The Virginia Cross Ties, The Tommy Webb Band, Sandy Paul and Raisin’ Corn, Clyde Carr and the Michiana Hymn Tymers, Ricky Prator and the Midnight Travelers and The Off N’ Runnin Bluegrass Band.
A fundraiser for the Family Christian Development Center, a not-for-profit organization in Nappanee, the festival brings in favorite names from throughout the bluegrass genre. This year’s festival will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Visitors often bring lawn chairs and sit and chat as they enjoy the sounds of traditional bluegrass instruments. According to the festival’s Web site, a new feature this year will be 10 acres of primitive camping near the festival site.
Ricki Prater and the Midnight Travelers, Tommy Webb and Eastern Kentucky and Clyde Carr and the Michiana Hymntymers will appear for the first time on the Wakarusa Bluegrass Festival stage.
Last year’s festival featured something special: The original pickup truck used in the classic TV sitcom “Sanford and Son.” This was a popular attraction last year, and festival spectators and performers posed for photos with it. Though as of publication time nothing was definite, plans to bring the truck back this year are pending.
If the Sanford and Son truck does not make it back, festival coordinators have an alternative: a Model A Ford pickup truck that appeared in last year’s Apple Festival parade.
Back by popular demand will be Audie Blaylock and Redline and the Virginia Cross Ties, both of whom were at the 2007 festival.
Another addition will be a morning worship service Sunday at 10 a.m. on the festival grounds featuring a lineup of local musicians performing bluegrass gospel. There will be a freewill offering and a message lasting about 20 minutes.
Coordinator Ed Tom thanks those who have lent a hand with this year’s festival.
“The community response as far as sponsorship has been great this year,” he said. “They’ve almost paid for our artists, which is unprecedented.
Volunteers from the FCDC will take tickets and help with parking.
Tickets will be $12 in advance, $15 at the gate and free for children 12 and younger.
More information is available at www.wakarusabluegrassfestival.com.
Car show
Between 120 and 150 cars will pack Wakarusa’s downtown square Saturday. However, only foot traffic will be allowed in that area as visitors tour the annual antique car show.
Coordinator Wayne Sawyer invites the Wa-Nee community to visit downtown Wakarusa and enjoy the variety the show offers.
“We fill the town,” he said.
This will be the sixth year for the show and, according to Sawyer, it has been successful each year.
“In the past we’ve had a great show,” he said. “People just love it.”
For those who wish to enter a car, registration is the day of the event, preferably before 9 a.m., Sawyer said. A gazebo will sit downtown and workers will take registration for three hours.
Sawyer asks that those who wish to register wait until Saturday to do so, as it helps to keep the event organized and prevents names and information from getting lost in the shuffle.
“We have everything to pass out for each individual,” he said, “and we have signs for their cars that say ‘don’t touch’ and so forth, so we have everything ready for them to pick up the day of.”
One word Sawyer uses to describe the festival is “free.” That includes free registration, free food for entrants, free giveaways and handouts. Prizes are given away in a variety of categories, and food is served throughout the day.
Those who would like to learn more can call Sawyer at 862-2309.
Bike Rodeo
While the grown-ups are enjoying cars and bluegrass, kids are invited to participate in the annual bike rodeo at Wakarusa Elementary School. Centered around bike safety, the rodeo teaches kids how to use hand signals, proper helmet use, traffic etiquette and more.
Prizes like helmets, water bottles, reflectors and even a few bicycles are given away at the end of the event.
Steak in the Park
With all of the activities going on, visitors are bound to work up an appetite. The annual Steak in the Park will take place in the downtown park that evening.
This is one of only two major fundraisers for the Wakarusa Lions Club. Members will serve up New York strip steak to hungry guests.
The downtown park is just a block away from the main downtown square, where the car show will take place.
Visitors can get their food to go or stay around and enjoy some small-town fellowship.
Information on any of the above events is available at the Wakarusa Chamber of Commerce, 862-4344.