Haynes Apperson Festival holds Saturday festivities despite storms

Jul. 2—Before the Haynes Apperson Festival parade began Saturday, festival chairman Paul Wyman joked that whoever was controlling the weather would be invited to join the festival board if they could keep the forecasted storms at bay until the festival ended later that day.

The parade audience lined Main Street. Some wore red, white and blue. Others brought lawn chairs and tried to find shade. Another handful were glad to sit on the curb in front of the Howard County Courthouse.

Saturday marked the final day of the 2023 Haynes Apperson Festival. Although rain fell over Kokomo around sunrise, the parade didn't experience any weather delays.

In fact, the clouds were clear enough to let a small plane fly above Main Street while parade attendees listened to the National Anthem. Rumbling motorcycles from the local American Bikers Aimed Toward Education chapter kicked off the parade when the plane circled back overhead.

Afterward, for the next 52 minutes, local organizations and businesses drove or marched down Main Street. Representatives from StarPlus Energy, which is building the $2.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant on the north side of town, helped lead the parade.

Several organizations threw candy to the crowd, shot water guns or blew bubbles.

Others, like the Kokomo Civic Theatre, the Kokomo Dance Team and Kokomo High School's Marching Wildkats, stopped in front of the stage to perform for the crowd.

Over toward Foster Park, where fair rides and food vendors were set up, the festival's car show was in full swing.

Dave White, who organized the car show, said he was setting up when it began to rain around 6:30 a.m. His phone began ringing nonstop shortly after with people asking how the show would move forward.

A few vintage American muscle cars were still filling parking spots along the stretch of Superior Street that lines Foster Park around noon. A total of 91 cars were entered into the show.

"I'm thrilled the weather is giving us a break," White said. "Here we are, we're blessed to be here."

Keith Wisher was among the car show participants. His 1959 Mohr Construction truck drew a crowd.

The truck was purchased by the paving company in March 1959 and decommissioned in November 1978, Wisher said. He still remembers seeing it driving around Kokomo when he was a kid.

After the truck was decommissioned, it sat unused for more than 30 years. Wisher purchased it in 2017, but it wasn't ready to hit the streets until last year after several years of repairs and modifications went into the truck. It now carries a camper chassis, has a street sweeper engine and a transmission from a school bus.

The original Mohr Construction logo had just been repainted.

Dee Ann Mohr Colescott, granddaughter of the company's founder, paused to check out the truck when she saw the logo. She said it felt a bit strange to see the truck again.

Her husband, Glenn Colescott, remembered working on the car when he was a Mohr Construction mechanic.

"It brings back a lot of memories," Glenn Colescott said.

Chris Henry's 1923 Model T Ford was among the oldest cars at the show. He purchased it 16 years ago and modified most of the truck with the help of his father, who had always wanted a Model T.

Henry remembered showing his dad the truck. When his father saw it, he got quiet and walked away. Henry thought he had upset him, until his father returned with a couple of coffees and sat down to help with repairs. Later that night, Henry said, he sat in the passenger seat while his father drove the car to Greentown and back.

"To this day, I've never seen him smile that big in my life," Henry said. "I'll never get rid of it."

Henry, who also owns a repair shop called My Buddies Garage, said he enjoys events like the Haynes Apperson car show because it gives him the opportunity to meet other people in Kokomo's automotive community.

The drive to and from the festival is also nice, he added.

A 1935 Chevy Streetrod owned by Wayne Spratt also drew a bit of attention. The heavily modified car was lowered by 4 inches, had suicide doors and blue lights that shined out of the car's hood.

Spratt said his wife let him purchase the car because she liked its powder blue paint job.

"I enjoy it. I think other people will," Spratt said. "That's why I bought it."

The car show's award ceremony went by quickly. Other than a veteran's award and an award that went to whoever owned their car the longest, judges didn't tell participants how they ranked in the car show.

Thousands of dollars in door prizes were given away, though, and Wyman took a moment halfway through the presentations to thank White for organizing the event.

For his part, White said he was "humble and amazed" at the car show's success.

"It is a privilege to be able to do this," White said. "In spite of the stinking rain, we gave something out to every car owner today ... On a day like this, I'm proud of that."

Nearing the end of the festival, Wyman stepped onto the Performing Arts Pavilion. Speaking to a packed Foster Park, he thanked each of the volunteers, organizers and first responders who helped make the festival possible.

The festival's headliner, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, was preparing for its performance nearby.

Thomas said he and his band mates enjoy playing fairs and festivals these days.

"It's great to still be rock and rolling after all these years," Thomas said.

Looking back to the '80s — the peak of the band's popularity — Thomas said he would often wish he was somewhere other than on stage with a nationally touring band. Usually, he added, he wished he was relaxing on a boat or a beach.

"I enjoy it now more than ever," Thomas said.

The singer added he liked the city's name. A few of his band members looked up from their pre-show routine to hum "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys.

The band's performance was pushed forward 15 minutes in an attempt to dodge the dark clouds that were forming over the stage.

The band was able to make it to the stage without any rainfall. They opened with "Laying it on the Line," before launching into "Jane," a Jefferson Starship song.

Taking a moment to thank the crowd for coming out, Thomas said it was nice to visit Kokomo again. By his estimate, it had been about a decade.

A light drizzle started halfway through the band's performance of "Somebody to Love," originally by Jefferson Airplane, the first iteration of the band that eventually became Starship.

Making sure the crowd would hear their hit song, the band played "We Built This City on Rock and Roll" halfway through their set. "Find Your Way Back," by Jefferson Starship, was the band's finale. The annual fireworks show was held after the concert.

"What an incredible three days," Wyman said after the festival's fireworks show. "I feel like we beat Mother Nature each day, but, boy, did she give us a run for our money."

He said he was thankful for the festival's volunteers and for the community coming out to celebrate before adding, "We so much enjoy putting on this community festival to celebrate all that is great about Howard County."

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.