A good time was had by all in the old town July 9 through the wee hours of July 10 at the second annual Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run and Festival. An estimated 1,100 attended the festivities starting on Friday afternoon. Representation came from five states, fifty-nine communities, and over 600 participants were registered for the Mad Bomber Run.

A carnival consisting of several inflatable attractions kept young children enthralled throughout the evening. Couples tested their communications skills during the lawn mower races where the driver was blindfolded while their partner gave directions through a slalom course. Families enjoyed popcorn donated by B&B Theatres at the free Screen on the Green hosted by the Family Physicians.

Children of all ages took advantage of the free sour apple cotton candy provided by Landworks Studios. Landworks took the opportunity to showcase their many months of work on their comprehensive Vision Iola Project. The plan detailed the results of meetings with community members to improve three areas in Iola – community identity and signage; enhancing the Iola downtown business district; and improving the usability and purpose of Iola’s parks and trail systems.

The most popular event of the evening was the crowning of Charley’s Bombshell and the Drag Queen Race. Iola’s most prominent businessmen, and a few women, dressed in 1905 women’s clothing and competed in a relay race. Runners raced their leg, then switched off a garter to their next team member. The winning team then competed against each other with Dr. Matt Skahan winning the overall competition. He was crowned and donned the royal Charley’s Bombshell Sash with his court crowned and admiring the accomplishment.

As the evening came to a close the community gathered on the steps of the post office for entertainment by the Four Days Quartet and the re-telling of the Melvin story. Melvin’s descendants then pushed the TNT plunger, as Fireworks exploded overhead starting the 5K Run/3K walk and 600 registered runners and walkers began the only race starting at 12:26 am. The evening definitely was a BLAST!

Plans are already underway; join the fun next year July 8-9, 2011 for the next Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run for your Life!