BY ERIN CLARK
THE COURIER

ELKHART — Residents here are a determined lot.

Even with a National Weather Service heat advisory out, sesquicentennial events are rolling on.

"5 o’clock, right here," yelled Tim the Twister Friday afternoon as he and Sunshine the clown geared up to put on a magic show for the kids.

Justin Beggs, 5, and his friend Benjamin Fricke, who is almost 4, were certainly in their seats on time.

They took a moment to concede that they were really looking forward to playing in the "Whopper Hopper," but the rest of their attention was for Tim the Twister and his pre-show antics.

Stephanie Bailey, 8, perched on her wooden seat for a minute before standing up to look around at everything going on.

"I’m most looking forward to the magic show," she said.

The magic show started at the right time, because downtown Elkhart came alive just before 5 o’clock. Parking was getting tight as groups trooped down Governor Oglesby Street toward the center of the festivities.

Joy Anderson bustled about, her bright red "Staff" shirt singling her out as a member of the sesquicentennial committee.

"We’ve been working on it for about a year," she said, adding that it had been a real team effort.

Anderson said she was pleased with the way things were going so far.

"Other than the weather … and the breeze is wonderful and I think the humidity’s down," she said.

She also said the committee is expecting Saturday to be a lot busier.

But some people didn’t wait for the weekend to start the celebration. The Future Farmers of America got their sweet corn booth going bright and early.

"I’ve been out here since 8 this morning when we picked the corn," said FFA secretary Jennifer Allspach around 5 p.m.

Nine youths clustered under the shade of the FFA booth, and Allspach said most of them had been at the sesquicentennial all day.

Allspach said fresh corn is $3 for a dozen ears, or people can get it cooked for $1 an ear. The booth will be open all day Saturday.

Just down the way, the old fire station played host to an Elkhart historical display. A small roomful of tables was crowded with numerous old newspaper clippings, paintings and pictures, each of which comprised a small piece of Elkhart’s long history.

Joann Carney Drake had a photography area set up next to the historical display. The placement was fitting: She was making history with her camera.

"I have a project here documenting Elkhart," Drake said, spreading several beautiful black-and-white photographs of Elkhart residents out on the table.

Drake said she started her project when she and her husband moved to Elkhart 13 years ago.

"Billy, my husband, grew up in Elkhart," she said. "When I first met him, part of the romance was he came from a small town."

Drake said she had children coming in from all over the United States, and they would all arrive in time for Saturday’s festivities.

But she had even more pressing concerns at that moment – the pageant "Of Olden Days" would be starting in just a few short hours.

"Billy’s playing John Gillette," she said as she packed her camera equipment to go prepare for the pageant. "His father played the same role 50 years ago. I’m playing his wife."

There’s little doubt that those early Elkhart residents would have been proud of their little village today.

The sesquicentennial celebration will continue Saturday and Sunday. Saturday highlights include historical tours of the hill, another magic show at 3 p.m., a classic car parade at 5 p.m., a chicken dinner at 5:30 on Main Street and a concert by Hot Property.

The Vietnam Veterans Wall will be open for viewing on Davis Street both days.

Sunday will see a time capsule buried at 1 p.m. and the closing of the Veterans Wall an hour later. Then a procession to the Elkhart Grade School will be followed by an non-denominational church service and an ice-cream-and-cake social.