The 24th annual Portage Historical Festival took place on Saturday. A relaxed atmosphere accompanied by beautiful weather made Countryside Park the place to be in Portage.
Portage residents gathered for the yearly celebration of the history of the city. Several contests and live entertainment highlighted the event. Attendees also received the chance to tour the farmhouse and Alton Goin Museum.
The day began with the presentation of the colors by the Portage High School Junior ROTC. Mayor Olga Velazquez led the Pledge of the Allegiance and performed the National Anthem.
Among the most popular of the contests was the one that involved racing to eat a watermelon as fast as possible. PHS student Tim Herrman, who will be a senior next year, won the contest, which required a tie-breaking round to decide. Herrman was helping run the event as a member of the JROTC. A fishing derby and a spelling bee with an Abraham Lincoln impersonator were also held.
The 
Portage Fire Department was on hand with one of its trucks. Children were permitted to test out spraying water from one of the hoses. Several firemen chatted with students and aided them in using the hose.
Wolfgang, a group of talented Hobart High School students and recent graduates, provided the first hour of live music. The Rusty Pipes took the stage next to play instruments. The Good Time Cloggers group also dazzled the audience with its unique routine.
Two time capsules were buried during a ceremony in between musical groups. The capsules were from fourth grade students at Myers and South Haven Elementary, which were the two Blue Ribbon schools in Portage.
Boy Scout Troop 50 also took part in the event. Members of the troop showed younger kids how to use certain Boy Scout equipment. They had camped out in tents located in the park overnight on Friday.
Many volunteers from the Portage Historical Society offered their time to help make the day a success. Rhonda Nelson led the charge in organizing the fest.
“We started in March and we made up different committees to work on the food, games and marketing. It eventually all fell together,” Nelson said.
Among the new features for this year were several food items at the concession stand. Walking tacos, elephant ears and fresh lemonade all made their Portage Historical Festival debuts. Another tweak in the scheduling was the reduction from two days to just one. The main concern with limiting the event to one day according to members of the society was the potential for a poor weather day, but it was all sunshine and warmth on Saturday.
The Portage Historical Festival truly has a little something for everyone. Look out for the 25th annual celebration next year! Click here from a complete photo gallery from this year's festival!!