Car show speeds to success in Jim Falls

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By ROD STETZER
rod.stetzer@lee.net
Sunday, August 31, 2008 10:06 PM CDT

JIM FALLS – Hal Radke was taking in all of the vehicles entered in the Jim Falls Sturgeon Festival’s car show on Saturday, and he couldn’t believe it.

Radke, the president of the Jim Falls Lions Club, figured the first year event would draw 50 cars to Anson Park. Instead, nearly 80 turned out.

The idea for Saturday’s car show came from Lions member Scott “Bulldog” Andersen, who has belonged to the Lions Club for five years.

“I was on the phone a couple a days with people I knew,” Andersen said about lining up car show entries.

The car show included Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2004 NASCAR No. 8 car, which is owned by Southworth Chevrolet of Bloomer.

The chicken dinner being served at Anson Park on Saturday was proving to be almost as popular as the car show. “We ran out of chicken for an hour,” Radke said.

And Friday night’s demolition derby turned out well, too. “Everything went just super,” he said.

Radke is delighted people are turning out for the Sturgeon Festival, which runs through Labor Day. That’s because the money the Lions Club raises from the festival goes to projects such as the Lions Eye Bank and the Wisconsin Lions Camp, and other people who need help.

One of the centerpieces of the celebration was on Sunday, with the grand parade. Radke said this year’s grand marshall was Anson Fire Chief Rick Schemenauer.

Here's the rest of the celebration schedule:

Labor Day

1 p.m. Demolition Derby for compact and mid-sized cars.

1 p.m. The fishing contest ends.

1-5 p.m. Music by “Ole and Tex.”

2 p.m. Bingo in the Lions Building.

5 p.m. A raffle drawing.