The 43rd Annual Sandhills Celebration started its Friday, Aug. 5, 2022 festivities with the registration of the dog show at 4 p.m.
There was a $5 fee per dog entered. The dog show was held at the pavilion at 5 p.m. followed by a raffle drawing. The winner of the drawing for a Dog Treat Basket was Makenzie DeBerry and her dog Samson.
There were arts and crafts booths open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The Cornhole Tournament started at 6 p.m. at Stiles Park. There was a total of 27 teams and a 100 percent payout, according to Eddie Rios, director of the tournament. The first place winners and the winners of the $675 cash prize were Ryan Duran and Vincent Gallegos. The second place winners and the winners of the $405 cash prize were Travis and Ben Kirksey. The third place winners and the winners of the $207 cash prize were Roy Aviles and Albert Sinaloa.
Hamburgers were served at 6 p.m. at the pavilion by the Olton Volunteer Ambulance Association.
A bake sale and cake auction benefiting the Olton Sandcrawl Museum was held at 6:30 p.m. The winner of the $500 in Olton Bucks was Daniel Nelson. Friday’s merriment concluded with a dance from 7 p.m to 11 p.m. featuring DJ Ferly.
The celebration continued Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022 at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the ambulance station, sponsored by the Olton Lion’s Club.
The arts and crafts booths opened at 8 a.m. Vendors included trampoline bungee jumping, mechanical bull ride, water balloon launching, a ring toss, a ball toss, several lemonade stands, a dunk tank, a slew of clothing and jewelry vendors and a large variety of others.
By 9:45 a.m., Main Street was alive with people lining up for the W. B. Dickenson Memorial Parade. The parade started at 10 a.m. and ended around 11 a.m. The first place winner for the best entry and the $200 prize was Lamb County Electric. The second place winner and the $100 prize was the Olton Minor All Stars. The third place winner and the winner of the $50 prize was the Olton Junior High Cheerleaders.
Water slides and bounce houses for the kids opened at Stiles Park at 11 a.m. Registration for the Horseshoe Pitching Tournament also started at 11 a.m. and the tournament started at 1 p.m. The first place winners and winner of custom belts was Reggie Holmes and Keeley Adams. The second place winners and the $150 prize was Luke Landeros and Gabriel Moncallo. The third place winners and the $100 prize was Mario Guillen and Rigo Rodrigues.
The cars in the Joe Harrell Memorial Car Show also drove in the parade. The cars were parked in the Wellington State Bank parking lot and judging started at 11:15 a.m. The first place winner and $100 cash prize was Lonnie Adrian with his 1969 Volkswagen beetle. The second place winner and the $50 cash prize was Gary Maddox with his 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T. The third place winner and the $25 cash prize was also Gary Maddox with his 1981 Trans Am.
Hamburgers were served at noon by the Olton Volunteer Ambulance Association. There was also Outlaw Egg Rolls and Texas Mac Shack food trucks. Along with snow cones and ice cream food trucks.
The Sandhills Golf Scramble took place at 1 p.m. at the Olton Golf Course. The winners were Tommy Guerrero, Ryan Duran, Chris Ruiz and Scott Reese. The team shot 10 under and won some coolers.
Saturday night, the winners of the raffle drawings were announced and there was a dance from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. featuring Tanner Lane. The winner of the raffle drawing for the Chicago Cutlery Insignia Steel 18-piece knife set was Karen Lewis. The winner of the Costway Inflatable Kid’s Bounce House was Clark Brazil. The winner of the Blackstone 30” griddle with hood and counter height shelves was Chris Kelly. The winner of the five-piece patio fire pit set was David Sifuentes. The Olton Volunteer Ambulance Association held a raffle drawing for a Kimber Micro 9, the winner was Val Steffens.
The 43rd annual Sandhills Celebration concluded Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022 with the volleyball tournament. The first place winner and the $80 cash prize was the team Latinos of Plainview. The second place winner and the $40 cash prize was Isaiah’s Team, also from Plainview.