I grew up in a community with traditions…traditions that date back to the late 1800’s. One of these traditions is the West St. Charles Church annual 4th of July picnic, the country church in the community where we live. The picnic entails a potluck, singing, a speaker who talks about something in regards to our freedom as a nation, and a load of games for young and old. Growing up, this event was very memorable, so coming back to it so many years later was a real treat. After the great food and speaker, the games commenced. There was the nail hammering contest…

The bubble gum blowing contest…

The buffalo chip tossing contest….
The water balloon tossing contest….
The sesame seed spitting contest…
The potato sack races….
And many more.

Noora, our exchange student from Finland got the real deal on her first day in Iowa. She enjoyed herself so much, she requested to have her picture taken like this…