JENNIFER DICKINSON, of La Center, coaxes a smile from her son, Mason George Dickinson, during the Beautiful Baby Contest at Our Days on Aug. 23.
KYLEE MILLS, 5, of La Center, found a fountain sprinkler the perfect way to cool down.
A LINEUP of Model A automobiles highlighted the Cruise-In car show at La Center’s Our Days celebration at Holley Park.
MARITA ERICKSON, left, 12, of Yacolt, and her friend Abby Ek, 13, of Battle Ground, show a colorful appearance during the Our Days celebration on Aug. 23.
Emily Young bounced her 7-month-old son, Dash, in her arms and gave him a big smile, encouraging the boy to give his best expression, too.
Dash, dressed in a crisp blue shirt and blue tie, came through in style. He showed the judges his cutest face and won the 7-12 months age division in the Beautiful Baby Contest at Our Days in La Center on Aug. 23.
Dozens of proud mothers entered their children in the event, which is a perennial favorite at the four-day celebration. Ronix Maddock, 16 months, the son of Ryan and Aubree Maddock of La Center, won the Grand Champion trophy for supremacy among all babies.
Meanwhile, at the other end of Holley Park, another kind of beauty was on display at the Cruise-In car show. White-bearded Ed Kiessling, wearing a camouflage NAPA cap, perused the lineup that featured everything from Model A-era vehicles to brightly-painted muscle cars.
A 1931 Ford coupe revved its engine nearby, and Kiessling turned to look.
“Oh, that’s sweet,” he said.
The 30-year La Center resident didn’t have a favorite car at the show, saying, “I appreciate the variety.”
The Ford coupe’s owner, Fred Bicknell of La Center, said restoring vintage cars is a passion.
“The fun is doing things with your hands,” he said. “I’ve owned this one for 11 years. Well, it’s been in the garage for 11 years.”
John Lindblom and Mike Readi, both of La Center, were among those inspecting the entries.
“This is kind of a unique car show,” Lindblom said. “If it comes in one one wheel or more, you’ll see it here. You’ll see every type of car here. It’s amazing what some of these guys do to make their cars ready for the show.
And it’s nice to put the cars on the (La Center Little League baseball field) grass. Most car shows are on pavement.”
Cars didn’t interest Abby Ek, 13, of Battle Ground, and Marita Erickson, 12, of Yacolt. They wandered the festival grounds with colorfully painted faces courtesy of Kelsey Jennrich, the face-painting lady.
Anna Webberley, 11, of La Center, enjoyed zipping down a huge air-filled plastic slide. She said Our Days was a nice way to end the summer.
“It’s something fun to do before school starts,” she said.
The annual festival got underway Aug. 21 with a concert by The Hit Machine at Sternwheeler Park. After the parade on Aug. 22, people jammed Sternwheeler Park again for a free showing of the movie “Frozen.”
The 2014 version of Our Days ended on a high note Aug. 24 with Barbershop in the Park. The music drew a big crowd, with The Coats drawing rave reviews from those who attended.
