Village comes together once again at Kidron Fun Nite
The water balloon toss, eventually won by Chris and Brady Hignight, drew a lot of contestants at Kidron Fun Nite.
Every summer Kidron locals look forward to old-fashioned fun and a bit of rivalry between the Amish and the English.
On July 23 people took a break from their phone and computer screens to enjoy each other’s company, catch up with or meet new acquaintances, and to smile as kids and friends ran and raced at the annual Kidron Fun Nite.
The evening weather was perfect for the softball game and the other outdoor activities. All the favorite games were present at the back ball diamond at Kidron Park. The night started off as it usually does, with a ballgame between the Amish and the English.
The Amish pulled a repeat of last year’s game, winning by a run. “We were in the lead the whole game, and then they came back and beat us,” said Karey Lehman, who had several hits for the English team. “But it’s fun being able to play ball in front of the whole community, and it’s cool to see people come out and watch.”
Veal burgers, ice cream and drinks were available and eaten while people of all ages were invited to either watch or participate in the events.
After the ballgame, candy was placed in baggies on the outfield, and kids were divided by ages to go get a bag. Although some kids were confused as to where they were to go, people smiled as one young Amish girl in a green dress bee-lined toward the sweet destination and got her bag first.
Next up was the three-legged race, and dust flew as participants hobbled down the first base line to the turnaround. After that was the water balloon toss, which got narrowed down to a tie before Chris Hignight and his son Brady won the tiebreaker.
Farmer’s National Bank set up the ticket tent for people to put their names in to win prizes. Local businesses including A1 Quality, Yoder Hydraulics Ltd, Kidron Merchants, Kidron Council, Amish Quality Exteriors and more helped sponsor the event and donated prizes.
The grand prize was a Cafe Coffee Machine donated by Home Appliance, an over-the-fire kettle donated by Allen Miller Builders and a $100 Kidron Merchants gift card donated by Kidron businesses. Jan Sohar was the disc jockey for the evening and announced the winners.
Kids also took turns riding the train, and face painting was an option again this year — by the end of the night, tigers, lions and butterflies were among the audience.
“It went very well. The games were well attended,” said Jacob Troyer, a Kidron local who helped plan the yearly night.