MILFORD – The 15th Annual Camp Mack Festival will be Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Besides enjoying all the fun and fellowship offered by a variety of foods, musical entertainment, rides, children’s activities, demonstrations and displays, visitors can also attend this year’s silent and live auctions. Donations for sale this year include old crocks, quilts, a chiming mantle clock, old dishes, a wooden train, a rocking chair, a plant stand with drawer, a brand new Simplicity tiller with electric start donated by Gardners Outdoor Power Equipment, numerous gift certificates from area businesses and many other items. The silent auction is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and the live auction begins at 1:30 p.m. Both are in the Kate Warstler Dining Center in John Kline Welcome Center. Between raising silent auction bids, visitors can slip over to the JKWC Meeting Room to learn about quilts at this year’s quilt display available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakfast foods will be available from 9 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The food court with a variety of foods provided by congregations will be in the large Quinter-Miller Auditorium. Churches cooking over open campfires will be outside nearby, and there will be live entertainment on the Quinter-Miller stage to enjoy while eating. Sarah Major Lodge, across from Quinter-Miller, will again have a variety of crafts, games and food projects for children from toddlers to teens to enjoy. Children and adults can enjoy demonstrations and displays including candle dipping, rope making, corn shelling and corn grinding. New this year is a perpetual motion machine on display in the Welcome Center. Weather permitting, hayrides, pontoon ride and train rides will give their passengers some great views of various parts of Camp Mack. This year’s festival will have two scarecrow contests and attendees can vote with money for their favorite scarecrow in each category. Besides the “Scarecrows Already Made” contest, visitors can enjoy the “Make it at the Festival” Scarecrow contest from 10 to 11 a.m. Individuals, families and groups may enter and will have one hour to “dress” and stuff a scarecrow in this contest. PVC pipe skeleton forms will be provided, and the camp will provide some lost and found items for dressing scarecrows, but participants are invited to bring items they may especially want to use, such as duct tape, twine, plastic bags or quilt batting. The winner in each category will be announced and receive their plaque at the beginning of the 1:30 p.m. live auction. Roaming throughout the food court and then performing in the John Kline Welcome Center Gathering Room at 12:45 p.m. is a festival favorite, Jim Snapp, the magician. After the magic show, stay at JKWC for the afternoon live auction. There is no admission or parking charge, but funds raised will provide camper scholarships and an AV system for the soon-to-be-built Becker Retreat Center. Camp Mack is at 1113 E. Camp Mack Road, Milford. For more information, call the camp at 574-658-4831 or go to www.campmack.org
