Community Corner

Beards, Babies, Ponies, Eats & Much More at Albany July 4th Fest

One of the most difficult things to do in Albany Thursday was to be bored at the annual Fourth of July celebration. The Diaper Derby alone was worth going for, not to mention the watermelon-eating contests and human hamster balls.

Albany's annual Fourth of July birthday party for America is a festival, community picnic and wacky holiday carnival all rolled into one.

Spirits were high and activities abundant under a beaming sun Thursday as hundreds of people gathered at Memorial Park for the city's free "Green, Red, White & Blue Celebration."

The fake beard contest was won by four stage-struck little girls, and contestants with bulging cheeks and red juice dripping from their chins raised their hands to signal when they had finished in the watermelon-eating contest.

Kids eagerly became "human hamster balls" as they climbed into giant plastic spheres and rolled across the grass, and one's boy face hardly seemed big enough to contain his grin as he rode one of the mounts in the pony ride.

Lines stretched in front of nearly every food truck, though none could match the line for the free ice cream from the Albany Chamber of Commerce

Young people, and a few not so young, scampered or gingerly inched their way up the climbing wall, and the East Bay Vivarium began its reptile show with a box turtle and the information that raccoons cause more injuries to Americans than any other dangerous wild animal.

Probably the top attraction for cuteness and eliciting laughter was the Diaper Derby, a race for the wee members of the crowd. You can see a brief video of the competitors in action here.

Audience applause determined the outcome in the two divisions of the Beard & Moustache contest. Crowned winner in the natural facial hair category was  Stu Griffin, who wore a purple shirt from his Richmond-Pinole Lions Club. 

Also among the crowd-pleasers were the classic car show hosted by the Albany Police Activities League and many other activities.

Check Albany Patch on Friday for a brief video of the cheek-stretching, chin-drenching watermelon-eating contest.

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