Hooping it up at 2nd annual Milton Pride Day

Dottie Goodrich, left, shows she's no stranger to a hula hoop as she and Hoopnotica instructor Angela O'Keefe have a go-round on Saturday during the 2nd annual Milton Pride Day at the Milton Elementary School. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photos)

MILTON - The 2^nd annual Milton Pride Day began on a chilly note for Milton Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Katherine Cahoon.

With temperatures hovering in the low 50s, she clambered up onto the raised seat inside the dunk tank chamber behind MES and watched helplessly as she was dumped unceremoniously again and again into the chilly, and watery, abyss.

"It was a little cold," she said with bravado and understatement later in the day.

Cahoon's sacrifice was to the delight of several MES students, but not in vain. Milton Pride Day was bigger and better then ever, with more vendors and events than last year and bigger crowds.

Cocheco Valley Humane Society volunteer Ruth Henderson and Ben Berry, 9, of Milton pat a beagle-hound mix up for adoption at Milton Pride Day on Saturday.

More than 300 townspeople attended the event, which is organized by the MES Parent Teachers Association.

Stefanie Berry, one of the organizers, said there were at least 25 vendors, up more than 10 from last year.

"We're very happy with the turnout of vendors and people who showed up," she said.

New to the festival this year were a pie-eating contest and live entertainment, which both set up in a natural amphitheater on the west side of the school. Also on the west side were Hoopnotica, a hula-hoop fitness and wellness concern run by local resident Angela O'Keefe; Butterfingers Da Klown, who did balloon animals, story telling and a magic show; a face painting table; and Tracey's Feathers and Tinsel Hair Styling.

Penelope Ayotte, 10, of Milton, gets her face painted by MES fifth-grade teacher Katherine Cahoon as Eleni Poppa, 10, of Milton looks on during the 2nd Annual Milton Pride Day on Saturday.

In the front of the school there were tables from Town Line Flea Market, Susan Foster Brown Studios, Women of the Moose, Brad's Key & Lock Service, McKenzie's Farm, Girl Scouts, and Friends of the MFPL among many others.

Another new vendor was Branch River Services, a sawmill that produces lumber from local forests and builds sheds and garages. The father and son team of Adrian and Anthony Morrill of Milton Mills set up a Woodmizer LT30 milling machine in the school's back parking lot.

Providing food for hungry festivalgoers were Pack 155 Cub Scouts, Town Line Pizza, Milton Rec (cotton candy) and MES PTA (fried dough).

Also on hand were the Milton Police Department, Fire and Rescue and many other organizations like the Community Church of Milton, End 68 Hours of Hunger, Milton Memorial VFW Post 8393, Tri-Town Democrats, Friends of Nute, Teneriffe Sports Club and the Cocheco Valley Humane Society.

District I candidate for state rep Larry Brown chats with Milton Police Chief Richard Krauss during Saturday's Milton Pride Day at MES.

Steve Collins of Belgian Meadows Farm of Lebanon was also on hand with free horse-drawn wagon rides.

Cool temperatures that caused concern for Cahoon and others at the start of Milton Pride Day moderated pleasantly into midafternoon as one of the premier events of the festival commenced, namely the pie-eating contest. About a dozen youngsters dove with gusto into cream pies to see who could finish an entire crusted confection first, then proudly posed to a passel of parents pointing cameras.

By the looks of it, they all ended up being winners.

Pie eaters proudly display the fruits of their labor after a pie-eating contest at Milton Pride Day on Saturday at the MES in Milton.