Purdy Festival 2012

A view of the bounce house rides and activities on the city park and school lawn during the Purdy Festival. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

The Purdy High School Marching Band offered an impromptu parade at 6 p.m. on Saturday for the late afternoon crowd. Under the direction James Adams, the band played George M. Cohan's "You're A Grand Old Flag" and the Purdy school song. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Employees of the Lowes, of Monett, set up a craft booth at the Purdy Festival on Saturday and helped youth build various wooden crafts. O'Neal Loetscher helps Licveth Aguinaga construct an airplane. ([Times Photo by Jared Lankford])

The first team ready to try its hand at the bathtub race time trials at the Purdy Festival was the "Too Old To Fail" team, with Chelsea Mareth as driver and her uncles, Ed and Pat Mareth, pushing. Their time of 11.21 seconds got them into the finals. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Bathtub race driver Trae Goetz's unique strategy was to splash as much water out of the tub as he could to reduce the load. His pushers, Scott Redshaw and Coy Utter, secured the fastest time in the preliminary heats for a shot at the championships. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Eight teams lined up to compete for the title at the first bathtub race competition for the Purdy Festival. With only one tub to race, each of the team ran against the clock, leaving the fastest four teams to race a second time on an extended track. Trae Goetz, driver of the fastest time in the first heats, splashed as much water out as he could to lighten his load. The wet track became tricky for later runners who slipped and fell. In the finals, the team, shown above, of Liz Shockley, driver, with Mason Roller and Trent Goetz pushing won handily. Each of the three received a $20 gift certificate from Walmart. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

The winning team in the Purdy Festival bathtub races was, from left, Mason Roller, driver Liz Shockley, and Trent Goetz. They each received a $20 gift card from Walmart. Their time was 11.06 seconds in the first heat, In the finalists' heat, with the track extended another 20 yards, their winning time was 15.0 seconds. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Pedal power was part of the fun activities for the area youth to participate in at the inaugural Purdy Festival. Above, Riley Rupp, of Purdy, uses his size to get a few more feet down the track. ([Times Photo by Jared Lankford])

Bill and Trix Long ,of Monett, took time to pose by their 1940 Chevy Coupe Deluxe that was exhibited at last Saturday's Purdy Festival. ([Times Photo by Jared Lankford])

The Purdy Festival offered an ideal opportunity to promote community pride and renewal. The Purdy Revitalization and Paving Project displayed photos of improvements the group has made at the city park. Bricks with names or personalized messages can be purchased in one of three sizes, from $50 to $100 each. The Purdy history book, created for the Purdy centennial in 1981 has been reprinted and is available for a minimum conation of $15. From left are: Robin Henderson, with a sample brick; Kathleen van Voorst and Neal Wass with photos of work done in the park; and Philip van Voorst with information on the bricks. For more information, call 417-354-4240. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

The Glory Bound Quartet provided afternoon music at the Purdy Festival, following the fiddling contest. Quartet members, from left, are: Cody Cantwell, Doug Holmes, Bob Cantwell and Gerald Burnside. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Trenton Breazzeal was one of many young people to ride the live merry-go-round at the Purdy Festival. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Three contestants battled for barbecue supremacy at the Purdy Festival. Forty-one judges tasted the creations of the competitors and determined Marvin Carney was the winner. Glen Terry took second and James Thomas took third. Thomas is shown serving up the final sample to one of the judges. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Jason Morton, of Willard, specializes in chainsaw woodcarvings. Morton demonstrated his skills to the several hundred spectators who descended upon the quiet town of Purdy last Saturday for the city's inaugural community festival. ([Times Photo by Jared Lankford])

Viewing the new veterans memorial in the new Project Genesis park in Purdy. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)

Children walking around the fountain in the Project Genesis park in Purdy. The duck pond was offered on the north side of the bridge for small children. (Times Photos by Murray Bishoff)