NORTH POWDER — The annual Huckleberry Festival in North Powder saw its biggest crowd in years on Saturday, July 31.

Hundreds of residents and visitors flocked to the small town on the edge of Union County where the streets were filled with music, vendors and kids eating shaved ice. The Hot-Rod Show-n-Shine car show also had its largest turnout, according to event organizer Bryan Karolski.

“We really went all out this year,” he said. “We put stuff out on social media, and we also advertised with probably 1,000 flyers. This is five times bigger than it was three years ago.”

Karolski ran the both the car show and festival from Huckleberry Headquarters on Second and E streets. He also sold confections made with huckleberries that he had hauled in.

In the moments he wasn’t juggling the responsibilities of running the show — including acting as the announcer and tracking down the festival’s Grand Marshals Dottie and Myron Miles — he was doting on his newborn baby girl, Sabrina May-Jean Karolski, who was only a few days old.

The car show featured about two dozen classic rides lined up along E Street. Karolski looked through the vehicles with the eye of an enthusiast, noting the original engine still bolted inside one of the classic pickup trucks.

Among the standouts were Ken Schuh’s all-black Chevrolet Corvette C1 with red interior and Ken Meeker’s 1966 blue Dodge Coronet.

Meeker is unable to walk but that didn’t stop the hobbyist from driving his soft-top convertible to the show.

“When you’re in my condition, you got to find a hobby,” he said.

Just before noon, the crowds filled every free space available along Second Street for the parade. Kids and families sheltered in the shade beneath Powder Club, while a few others held aloft umbrellas to deflect the sun’s rays.

“It’s looking good,” Karolski said in passing.

Dottie Miles, from the back of a horse-drawn carriage, sang along to the national anthem as it boomed out over a loudspeaker.

As the parade continued, candy was tossed out and kids scrambled to grab their prizes. Not soon after, fire trucks began spraying water through the street allowing attendees a chance to cool off in the sweltering sun.

“Hose ’em down, boys,” Karolski said over the loudspeaker, as children as well as adults darted in and out of the spray.

After the parade came to an end, the attendees took off to watch the popular mud volleyball event near the train tracks. Teams took turns waddling through mud attempting to score against each other, and some of the contestants dramatically dove for the ball only to get a face full of mud.

Back at Huckleberry Headquarters, Karolski attended to his family, his huckleberries and his festival. Though the crowds started to thin as the afternoon faded, Karolski knew he had put on one of the best Huckleberry Festivals in the town’s history.