CELINA-The revival of the Moonshine Daze festival here livened up the square and pleased crowds with contests, races, and special guests despite an early setback caused by a fierce storm hitting the area in the wee hours of Saturday morning. (See slide show below).

Festival organizers termed the event an “overall big success,” though the storm damaged some vendors’ merchandise, necessitated cancelations of some planned activities, and discouraged a few people from attending.

“The best proof of the success of it was all the smiling faces I saw all day long!” Susan Bailey, one of the many festival organizers, said Monday.  “We had some hurdles to overcome in our first year and we learned a lot, but I think for the most part everything went well.

“We had big crowds on the square, great entertainment, and good participation in the events, and we are already looking forward to next year.”

Outhouse racing proved to be the most popular event, with 21 entries making the run for the glory.  The Bank of Celina team emerged from the four division winners to wipe out the competition with a best time of 10.09 seconds on the 50-yard course, while Celina Health and Rehab won for the best decorated entry and for the best dressed team.

Greased pigs were all the excitement with the younger crowd. Jimmy Burchett (4-5 years) group, Wesley Walker (9-11 years), and Brandon Kreig (12-14 years) brought home the bacon, but not until after the pigs escaped the contest area and had to be caught just to be chased again.

Tim Smith of the Discovery Channel’s Moonshiner show was a big hit with the crowds too. Many of the festival attendees collected his autograph and photos with the TV celebrity were also in great demand.

Other activities getting attention included the presence of multiple Dukes of Hazzard vehicles, a wide array of vendors, and live music galore.

See a future HORIZON for more details about this year’s Moonshine Daze festival, including additional photos, winners, and much more.

Moonshine Daze also included a Fireman’s challenge won by the Nashville 28 Truck, a pecan bake-off won by Hazel Willis who made a chocolate bourbon pecan pie, a look alike contest won by Eugene and Clifton Boles.

Revenuers Ride winner P.J. Browning and 5K winner David Smith each took home a moonshine still trophy handcrafted by Ike Bonecutter.

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