Bargains, family fun draws crowd downtown
1/Erick Epperson and his niece, Audrey Lee, 3, demonstrate their artistic skills on Main. Hailing from Missouri and Oklahoma, respectively, their families were vacationing in the Heartland Lakes area. Chalk was provided during downtown's Crazy Days for improvised art.
2/Santa (a.k.a. Sam Coborn) made a surprise appearance Thursday in his summer attire, handing out candy to children.
3/Roxanne Eischens and her St. Bernard, Paisley, join the first annual Crazy Days pet parade Thursday morning. "She's just a puppy," Eischens said of her one-year-old. "They chew on bigger things -- couches, arms of the chair."
4/Decked out in a handmade angler and large bass costume, Haley Larson, 6, and Sugar won the 2018 craziest pet costume contest. Larson and her grandmother, Kim Larson, crafted the costume together. Cecelia Michaels, owner of Lickin' Whole Good Pet Foods and organizer of the pet parade, said she was pleased with the turnout. "I hope next year it builds," she said.
5/Debra Vein and her 10-year-old long-haired Chihuahua, Gizmo, won the pet-owner lookalike contest.
6/Despite the drizzly weather, shoppers visited downtown Park Rapids to peruse Crazy Days bargains.
