Bayview News: Thousands enjoy Bayview Daze
BAYVIEW – Brilliant cascades of color burst from the sky Saturday night as the planet Venus gazed benignly upon Bayview. Thirty-five minutes of constant fireworks wowed the estimated crowd of more than 3,000.
The stunning effect on a beautiful summer evening highlighted the three-day Bayview Daze celebration.
Bayview Daze was a combination Independence Day/weekend celebration on July 6-8.
The event started Friday with a street fair, which brought 56 vendors offering items from arts and crafts to munchies.
The big day, though, was Saturday, with a parade featuring 49 entries including vintage cars, floats, fire engines, horses and even some protesters.
Winner of the $1,000 raffle was Bob Bolkcom of Bayview.
Each year, the Bayview Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the fireworks show and all other Bayview Daze activities, holds a raffle. Only 100 tickets are sold, with half the proceeds going to the fireworks fund and the other half being given to the winner.
An unfortunate byproduct of fireworks is dogs that panic from the loud noise and run out of control until they find themselves in strange surroundings in which they become disorientated.
An elderly woman’s 12-pound Shih Tzu ran off and hasn’t been recovered. This pet was her only companion.
If lost dogs are spotted wandering around, residents are urged to report the sightings to animal-control officials or to local businesses. In the case of the lost Shih Tzu, please call 683-2553 if you find the dog.
Sunday morning, the streets of Bayview were relatively empty as quiet once again descended.
A resort location, the general Bayview area holds around 700 permanent residents. But during Bayview Daze, the population expands to thousands.
One observer compared the phenomenon with pregnancy and childbirth as the town grows and then contracts to its normal self. This observer was last heard being ridiculed by his significant other, who decried the comparison.
Parade judges were Paul Zeigler, Margaret Nelson and Cheryl Puckett.