BE MERRY

I f you're on the hunt for something fun to do for Father's Day next weekend, look no more. One of the benefits of living in the Dayton area is that All Wheels Weekend makes celebrating Father's Day a no-brainer.

What guy doesn't like fast cars, good food and girls? All Wheels Weekend has got all three! Well, the "girls" may be guys gussied up for the tricycle "drag" races. But, as they say, "two out of three ain't bad".

The weekend kicks off on Friday evening with a Presenta- tion of Cars at the AmericanWest Bank parking lot and live music by LeadFoot. (That band includes several members of the former Retreads band we've enjoyed in past years.) Be sure to stick around until 9:30 for the fireworks show - it's usually pretty impressive.

Then, head back to Main Street on Saturday for the Show- N-Shine, where you'll find literally hundreds of gorgeous and unique cars to drool over. In our family, we challenge one another to choose a favorite by the end of the day. When you see all the cars, you'll understand why picking just one is such a challenge.

Practically the whole community turns for event, so a walk down Main Street becomes a mini-social event, complete with food and music. Visit the craft booths on the courthouse lawn, take a ride on a Speeder Car at the historic depot or register for the Poker Walk at Crofts. Just be sure to be back on Main by 2:00 when the Men's "Drag" Races take place. That's always worth a chuckle or two.

Our favorite family event takes place at 5 p.m. when the Demo Derby begins at the Fairgrounds. Grab some snacks, drinks and earplugs and enjoy the show!

If you still haven't had "too much fun", take the kiddo's home and head back downtown for the Pub Crawl, which begins right after the Demo. Several eating and drinking establishments will feature live music, and a drawing will be held for those who get a stamp from each one.

On Sunday, enjoy Father's Day Breakfast at the Youth Building in the Fairgrounds, then check out the All Wheels Golf Tournament at the Golf Course. Again featured this year is the $10,000 putting contest, for tournament participants only.

Happy putting. That is, if you're not too busy recuperating from all the fun you had the day before.