One hundred and two years of the best of small town America

  • by Jennifer Kneuss
  • August 20, 2012
  • 391
                        
Summary: For 102 years, the people of the village of Baltic have been celebrating their community with the Baltic Homecoming Festival. Although the event grows bigger each year, the sense of small town America thrives as thousands return to the village to celebrate. “B-5!” shouted out the bingo caller as players bent over their cards, intent on winning the round. Children dashed among the nearby games, waving balloon sculptures as they went, and young couples strolled hand in hand, sharing homemade ice cream or bags of kettle corn, seemingly oblivious to the whirl of activity around them. The food stand had a steady flow of customers, eager to taste the barbeque chicken, homemade pies and cakes, and other goodies. Hovering above it all was tethered a beautiful blue and red hot air balloon, while the strains of lively bluegrass music provided the perfect backdrop for this portrait of picturesque small town America at its’ finest. “This is the 102nd year for the Baltic Homecoming,” explained long time volunteer Eli Hershberger, as he gazed across the crowds still lingering late into Saturday night. Hershberger manages the cornhole tournament, which had 22 teams participating. “We’ve had one game going on for over an hour. It’s really popular, as the teams compete for a $50 prize for each player.” Hershberger gestured toward the sky, which had been dominated by sunshine and temperatures in the 70s for both days of the celebration and smiled. “We couldn’t have ordered more beautiful weather for this.” “Last night was big, too, with 40 volleyball teams, 32 of which were girls’ teams, competing until at least 2 AM on Saturday morning,” added Baltic Community Club member Seth Gerber. Gerber grew up in Baltic, and although he no longer lives in the village, his enthusiasm for his hometown is evident. The volunteer noted that the Community Club does a lot for the Baltic area. “Every year, the club does the Homecoming Festival. The best part is that all of the proceeds are invested back into the community, primarily into the park. We do repairs and keep things nice. There are also great things we provide for the kids. Every year we have a huge Easter egg hunt, and then at Christmas we host Santa at the fire station. Every single child who comes gets a nice gift. It’s a very worthwhile endeavor. I lived here in town until I was 12, and even though I don’t now, I still work here, and I am proud to be part of this community.” The two day event in Baltic Community Park on Aug. 17 and 18 drew steady crowds from not only Baltic, but neighboring areas. Visitors enjoyed the treat of children’s train rides and short trips into the air in the hot air balloon. A home run derby for kids, softball tournament, and duck race activities were topped off by Saturday’s Main Street horse and grand parade. By late Saturday night, Baltic mayor Lana Guisinger was still smiling as she moved around the pavilion area collecting trays from satisfied customers. “We have run out of almost everything in the food stand! I was lucky to get one of the last hamburgers,” exclaimed the mayor. “The wonderful thing is how all of us from the area come together for the good of our community. We have quite a few Amish volunteers serving with the Community Club as well as other groups in town, and we are all here together volunteering this weekend.” Magician Bill McKinney was busy amazing a group of wide eyed children and their parents for his fourth Homecoming appearance. Frogs and lemons appeared out of thin air, the suite of a hidden playing card was revealed, and he even played a tune on the harmonica. After responding to pleas for ‘one last trick’, the magician pocketed his deck of playing cards for the final time and turned to leave. McKinney paused momentarily to give his view in regard to the Baltic Homecoming festivities. “This is a fantastic little community, and people should be proud of this. This is what America is all about.”


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