OLD TOWN, Maine — Milford resident Cole Mannisto, 5, was one of many youngsters running from one children’s event to another on Saturday during the 13th annual Old Town Riverfest, a community event that attracted hundreds of people from all over the region.
Mannisto got a pony ride, milked a cow, attempted to dunk a firefighter, bounced in the bounce houses and played a game at the Riverfront Park festival grounds, and that was during his first 30 minutes at the all-day event.
“That was awesome,” he said after getting off the pony. He immediately requested going to the dunk tank. “I want to throw the balls.”
The youngster was escorted by Kylee Fowler, his dad’s girlfriend. His dad, Andy Mannisto, had to work, she said.
“It’s fun to bring a kid,” said Fowler, who is pregnant with her first child. “I didn’t do the pony ride last year,” she joked. Most of the children’s events were free to participants.
When the two got to the dunk tank, Khaleb Hale, 5, was standing in front of the water-filled tank that held his dad, Brett Hale, who is the Old Town High School hockey coach.
The senior Hale was already soaked from dunks.
His son threw the three balls he had as hard as he could, and even though two hit the target dead on, they were not hard enough to drop his father into the water. His son, determined to soak his dad, ran up and pushed the lever with his hand and in went his dad.
“Hey,” Brett Hale said, laughing.
Hale has volunteered to sit in the tank three years in a row, he said after getting out of the tank.
Volunteer Carol May, who worked the entry of the Disney Princess bounce house, one of four set up for children to enjoy, said a couple hundred children had entered the bounce house.
“They seem to go back and forth,” between the air-filled bounce houses, she said.
May has been a Riverfest committee member for about a decade and works at the Penobscot Times newspaper.
“It’s a great time and a great event for the community,” she said.
The annual Riverfest celebration was held in conjunction with Old Town High School’s annual homecoming, and included a football game, a cruise-in, ice cream social and fireworks on Friday.
The fourth annual Ride for a Cure — Brenda Sibley Memorial Ride — kicked off Saturday’s events, which also included concession food sales, a parade, live music and marching band demonstrations, a firefighters muster, wagon rides, canoe and kayak rides on the river and children’s games.
More music, a dog show and blessing of the animals were Sunday’s featured events.
This year’s parade grand marshal was Jim Lavoie, the recently retired Old Town deputy fire chief.
Fowler grew up on Indian Island and has made attending the Old Town Riverfest an annual event.
“You don’t have to spend too much money to have a day full of fun,” she said, adding, “We’re going to get his face painted next.”