MONTICELLO — The aptly named Family Fun Night held Friday evening at Pioneer Park kicked off a weekend of traditional Riverfest festivities, and appeared to be one of the most well-attended events.
“This is the official start of Riverfest,” said longtime Lions Club member Larry Kounkel.
Thousands of families flocked to the annual festival-within-a-festival, where they were greeted with clear blue skies, a menu of sloppy joes, hot dogs and sno-cones, a petting zoo, classic cars, all manner of activities for little ones, a K-9 demo and more.
A Family Fun Night staple is the classic car show, one of the largest in the region, which attracts many car enthusiasts.
With classic, collector, custom and unique vehicles displayed on the park’s west end, there were plenty of hot wheels to admire, in addition to tractors, motorcycles and more.
With nearly 200 vehicles in attendance, row after row of colorful classics were on display, of every make, model and year under the sun, ranging from the oldest — Model Ts from the early 1900s — to modern machines, which included a shiny, brand-new Corvette.
“The car show has just gotten bonkers,” Kounkel said. “We’ve got cars from all over.”
That included a unique ride brought by Duane Rasmussen, who grew up in Monticello, but drives from his home in Bloomington to attend each year.
His one-of-a-kind 1934 Oldsmobile “rat rod” was attracting a plethora of attention, and attendees were incredulous that the owner, a diesel mechanic who built the car himself, had actually driven it to the event, given that it appeared to be sitting directly on the grass, no wheels visible.
“It’s the most beautiful drive you ever rode, I swear,” he said, explaining that he can take it up to 70 miles per hour.
Rasmussen said his custom car — with its worn-down, unfinished look, lack of paint, showing rust and bullet holes, and covered with a variety of vintage signs, including one epithet — is very divisive.
“People either love it or they hate it,” he said.
Another fun car that attracted a lot of attention was a “Ghostbusters”-style Ectomobile replica, along with a military Jeep that looked straight out of World War II.
While cars were the draw for many adults, Family Fun Night, perhaps more than any other single Riverfest event, really caters to the kiddies.
That included bounce houses galore, a free petting zoo full of furry friends, pony rides for purchase, face painting, hula-hooping and temporary tattoos.
Landon Towle, a 1 ½ year old from Monticello, visited the petting zoo with his big sister and mom, appearing transfixed by the pen of lambs, goats and alpacas.
“He likes anything soft,” said mom Tina Towle.
Three-and-a-half-year-old Kelly Ellingson of Monticello was also enjoying getting her hands on something soft, as she stroked a little black bunny named Scooter, while keeping an eye on the other resident rabbit, Muffin.
A large, soft-spoken, gentle man in denim overalls, Dave Erickson of Erickson’s Petting Zoo in Osakis looked like he was straight out of central casting for “petting zoo owner” as he alternated holding one of the two rabbits in his lap, letting kids pet the cute critters.
Over on the other side of Pioneer Park, the Home Depot Kids Building Clinic also returned to Riverfest this year, letting youths be builders and creators.
Each child was able to hone his or her carpentry skills, building a small wooden project to assemble and take home, including race cars, tool boxes and banks.
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