Pettisville's Friendship Days to feature sports, food, auctions

6/23/2010

PETTISVILLE - Sporting events, community meals, and the auction of the volunteer-made Friendship Quilt will highlight Pettisville's biennial Friendship Days celebration to be held this weekend in the village park, rain or shine.

The festivities start Friday with the Friendship Family Barbecue from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the park pavilion, with full dinners available for carryout or to eat in the park.

A benefit auction of hundreds of merchandise items donated by local businesses begins at 5 p.m. The auction culminates at 8:30 p.m., with the Friendship Quilt being put up for bids.

The festival's first athletic event, a dodgeball tournament divided into four age groups from fifth/sixth grades up to adult, starts at 5:30 p.m., while six huge inflatable gyms will keep the youngest children occupied during the auction.

Registration for the 5-kilometer road race opens at 7 a.m. Saturday, with the race beginning at 8 a.m. A kids' run begins at 7:45. Breakfast will be served in the park pavilion from 7:30 a.m. until 10 a.m.

The park pond will be stocked with catfish for a fishing derby for which registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, while a three-on-three basketball tournament gets going at 9 at nearby Pettisville High School.

A Life Flight air ambulance is to touch down on the school track's infield at 11 a.m., with a brief opportunity for viewing and questions with the crew.

Eleven a.m. also is the start time for a Family Health and Safety Fair and kids' carnival games. The FFA's Pedal Tractor Pull and a hole-in-one golf tournament for adults both start at noon, while horse-drawn wagons begin offering village tours at 1 p.m. Cornhole matches start at 3 p.m.

Dinner in the Park, featuring a complete beef-brisket meal with salad and sides, will be served from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by the reverse raffle, for which 300 tickets were sold in advance. Three main cash prizes are to be awarded at the raffle's close, estimated for 10 p.m.

The kids' inflatables and obstacle course will remain open until 9. A Community Worship Service at 11 a.m. Sunday in the park wraps up events, which are open to everyone.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Pettisville park's maintenance and development.