Wheel Fest rolls into Hamlin for the 10th year

Wheel Fest rolls into Hamlin for the 10th year

In an era of constant change, one thing that has remained steady in the Town of Hamlin is its Wheel Fest which will celebrate its 10th anniversary when the event kicks off on June 2. For 12 hours (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) visitors will be treated to the sights and sounds that have kept the festival rolling along for a decade and will also find new things to enjoy.

Offering food booths to a wide variety of craft vendors, a chance to bid on items in the silent auction, a place for the children to participate in activities and time to simply sit and enjoy the music, the festival brings crowds to the Hamlin Firemen's Field (on Route 19 in Hamlin). The quilt show (in the Merritt Building), the silent auction (proceeds benefit "Help Hamlin Kids"), the craft booths, the Wild World of Wildlife and the Antique Outboard Motor Club, Inc. (Western Chapter) will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kids' Corner activities also run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the Goonies Clown Club will be on hand from 1 to 3 p.m.

Fire prevention information and the Walker off-road rescue vehicle will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

An X Dreams, BMX bike and skateboard demo will be open from 1 to 2 p.m.

Performing on stage will be the Brockport fifth grade band, followed by the Brockport seventh and eighth grade pop vocals at 10 a.m. Isshin Ryu Karate Demo will be at noon. Hamlin native Cheyanne Howe will take to the stage with her musical stylings at 2 p.m. The Lakeside Country Cloggers perform at 3 p.m.

Wheel Fest events feature a parade this year. The line of march travels from the Town Hall parking lot to the Firemen's Field following Engine 55, the restored Hamlin Fire Truck. Step off is at 4 p.m.

Visitors will also have a chance to rock with Ruby Shooz at 6 p.m.

The event caps off at 10 p.m. sharp with fireworks display.

The refurbished Engine 55

Engine 55 comes home, will be unveiled during Wheel Fest

It's been a labor of love for the past five years, but Engine 55, affectionately known as 'Bertha,' will be welcomed during a ceremony on June 2 - as part of Hamlin's Wheel Fest event - at 10 a.m. with an unveiling. There will be an antique fire apparatus honor guard posted at 11 a.m. Engine 55 will remain on display during the day until it makes its way down the road during the Wheel Fest parade at 4 p.m.

Restoration chairman Jerry Clement said it's easy to read or research a town's history but it is a rare thing when there is something physical that is a representation of a town's heritage. This project was a community-wide effort. Those who contributed to the $72,000 that it took to complete the restoration really showed how much this project meant to them, he said.

Clement said the unveiling of the restored Engine 55 at the 10th anniversary of Wheel Fest was fitting. "It's a community event, and Engine 55 is a community project. It was the best time to show off what has been done," he said.

The restoration of Engine 55 began in 2002 when the Hamlin Firemen's Exempt Association agreed to restore the engine and a committee was formed to come up with a game plan. Fundraising kicked off in 2003 and phase one restoration began in the fall of 2005 - it took a little more than a year from start to finish and involved disassembly, mechanical repairs, painting, reassembly and a total frame-up.

"If it weren't for the generosity of the community and the funds that the Hamlin Exempts contributed, this project may never have reached this end," Clement said. "It's important to us that we present Engine 55 to the community and we are excited to do so."

History
Engine 55 or 'Bertha' as she is referred to by all Hamlin firefighters, has a long and esteemed history in this community. Bertha replaced a Model T Ford Chemical Extinguisher truck and two hose carts that had been used to protect Hamlin even before the Hamlin Fire District was incorporated in 1927. The 500 gallon per minute pump on Bertha was a giant leap forward in 1931 when it was new. Engine 55 served Hamlin for 28 years until 1959 when it was retired from active duty but still used for training and parades. She is now operated by the Engine 55 Club, a group of Exempts, and others, dedicated to maintaining "Old Bertha" as an important part of the community's historic heritage.

Classic wheels roll into the Wheel Fest

Car enthusiasts - those who like to drive and those who just want to look - will enjoy the Cruise-in at Wheel Fest. Individuals are invited to dust off their classic vehicles and drive them over to the Wheel Fest and show them off. There is a $5 registration fee for those who want to enter their vehicles.

Dash plaques and goodie bags will be offered. Awards will be handed out for the best truck, best motorcycle, best import, oldest vehicle, cruise crew choice, ladies' choice, special interest, popular choice and chairman's choice. Door prizes will be given away.

The vehicles, both old and new, will be on display at the Hamlin Firemen's Field from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 2.

Get your dancing shoes on for Wheel Fest

From the sounds of Hamlin's own Cheyanne Howe, who takes to the main stage at 2 p.m. as part of Hamlin's 10th annual Wheel Fest, the event promises music and dancing for all ages.

The Brockport fifth grade band, followed by the Brockport seventh and eighth grade pop vocalists will perform, beginning at 10 a.m. when the "gates" open on the event.

While you may not be dancing, you can certainly enjoy the choreographed moves of Isshin Ryu as it performs a karate demonstration at noon.

Following Howe's country stylings, the Lakeside Country Cloggers will entertain with a high-stepping Appalachian style performance. The Cloggers are based in Rochester and have 15 members. Clogging is sometimes called American Folk Dance or American Step Dance and its origins trace back to the 1800s and began in the Appalachian Mountains.

The evening of entertainment rounds out when visitors are invited to "Rock with Ruby Shooz" at 6 p.m. They are a group that features an extravagant rock and roll show complete with costume changes, trivia and dance contests.

Don't forget, at 10 p.m. the evening wraps up with the fireworks display.

Amusements for every age group

The cries of "I Got It" will echo across the Firemen's Field as the children gather in the Kids' Corner to partake of the activities geared toward the younger set. From face painting to wandering through the petting zoo to "clowning around" with Twinkles the Clown and many youth games, there is bound to be something to please most every age and activity level.

Learn about reptiles and other exotic animals at demonstrations by the World of Wildlife Educational Encounters.

Youngster can also find horse/pony rides offered by Mariah Meadow Farms, a cake walk, candy art and Cub Scout Pack 724 will have a dime pitch.

A ball pit and other rides will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.