Tingley preparing for 5th annual celebration
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One Sunday each year, Tingley swells from a town of 136 people to more than 700, as visitors flock to the community to share pie, ice cream and memories at Tingley Memorial Park.
The 5th Annual Ice Cream Social planning committee is prepared to welcome visitors to Tingley Memorial Park again this year on Sunday, August 25. What began as an event to help raise money for the upkeep and maintenance of Tingley Memorial Park, has grown far beyond the town’s expectations.
The park was created after a gentleman driving through Tingley everyday decided a derelict building on a property along main street needed to be torn down. He bought the property, knocked the old building down, and sold the property to the Town of Tingley for just one dollar.
Visionary Bob Johnson joined forces with a group of community leaders including John Allen and Kent Trullinger, and they started recruiting people to discuss the creation of a Memorial Park in Tingley.
“Bob Johnson pulled up in my driveway one day and said ‘You like flowers don’t you? We’re having a meeting,’” remarked Priscilla Alvik, “I imagine he recruited several people that way,” she laughed.
The park was constructed in the fall of 2019 with all-volunteer labor from area carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons and many others.
Then an ice cream social was planned for September 20 the following year to bring people together, dedicate the park and raise funds to help maintain it. Entries were sought from community members, and a homemade ice cream tasting event delighted those who attended. All entries were made from scratch in a crank or electric ice cream freezer, and no commercial mixes were allowed.
A pie baking contest was added to the event in 2022 in memory of Jenny Tull and the event more than quadrupled the number of people that live in Tingley.
The event has also included a show and shine car/tractor show along main street, kids games and activities, live music and a meal provided by the Ringgold County Cattlemen the past few years.
“Last year we had a different mix of attendees,” said Alvik, “Lots of families with young children.”
This year, they invited a clown who will be twisting balloon animals for the kids, a vender show, a corn hole tournament, and other family friendly entertainment.
“The goal is to expand the celebration a little bit each year,” says Alvik.
Most of the activities are provided free of charge, with free will donations accepted instead.
The old fashioned fun gets underway with the craft and vendor show beginning at 1:00 and running until 7:00 p.m. Ken and Jennifer Callahan with Callie Corn will be providing Kettle Corn to snack on all afternoon. There is still time to register as a vendor for a nominal fee of $10 going to the Memorial Park. Vendor forms can be obtained by emailing Barb Weeda at bsweeda@gmail.com or call 641-344-8094.
Registration for the corn hole tournament also begins at 1:00 p.m. in the tennis court, with tournament play happening between 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded.
Antique cars, tractors, semi cabs and motorcycles are invited to convene along main street for a show and shine from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Mike Ford can be reached at 641-344-9339 with any questions.
Roger Burger will be playing live music on the tennis court from 2:30-3:30 p.m.
“Zounds the Clown” will be making an appearance along main street from 3 to 6 p.m.
Derek Jones will be setting up a small petting zoo again this year from 2-7 p.m. Other kids activities include face painting from 4:00-5:30 p.m., a nickel and quarter rush on the North side of the community park at 5:30 p.m. and a kids raffle at 6:00 p.m.
Homemade pies can be dropped off at the Wagon Wheel Cafe by 3:00 p.m on Sunday, August 25. A total of $500 in prize money will be split amongst the winning pie entrants.
Homemade ice cream entries will also have a chance to win prize money in two categories; Vanilla, and Anything Goes. A total of $1,000 in prize money will be split amongst the winners of the categories.
The Carey Crowson Trio is also returning to provide live musical entertainment between 4:00-7:00 p.m.
The Ringgold County Cattlemen will begin serving hamburgers, chips and drinks at 4:30 p.m., with a free-will offering being accepted.
The Hoover Angus homemade ice cream contest and Jenny Tull homemade pie contest winners will be announced at 5:00 p.m. A live auction will follow, with the winning entries going to the highest bidders. Gary Hartsock is also donating a handmade bowl to go along with the samples of winning ice cream entries.
