HEBRON | Lynn Holst and his wife, Patti, had just finished the last of their pulled pork sandwich.
"Get the red sauce. It's good," Lynn Holst said.
The Holsts came out Saturday to the Hebron Community Center to spend time with their neighbors at the town's Fourth of July celebration.
A morning parade was followed by a host of events, including a turtle race, a soapbox derby, a beanbag tournament, bingo, live music and kids games. Hebron High School sponsored a dunk tank, while the high school's athletic boosters served pulled pork sandwiches.
Assistant Police Chief Tony Frencl pointed out the line of people waiting to take a sledgehammer to an old Chrysler New Yorker.
"It was a donation," Frencl said. "We wanted to let people take out their aggressions."
For the day, Canadian National railroad donated the use of Little Obie, a child-sized train, which gave rides around the community center's walking path.
Mike Walsh, a machinist for CN who operated the train for the day, said Little Obie was a big hit.
"We really have a lot of fun with it," Walsh said.
Town Council President Don Ensign said the event revives Hebron's tradition of celebrating the holiday. Ensign said Hebron hosted a much larger celebration about 20 years ago.
"We decided to try to bring back some of the things we used to do here," Ensign said. "We wanted to take this and plant a seed and let it grow a little."
The Holsts, lifelong residents of Hebron, also were entertaining their daughter Tawni Komisarcik and granddaughter Kailee Komisarcik, 6, of Valparaiso, for the day.
"We've been here all our lives and this is our town," Patti Holst said, pointing to her granddaughter. "We wanted her to see what a small town is like."
Although Ensign said the town will continue to host the party and add to it each year, he and his fellow council members want the celebration to stay small.
"We don't want it to get as big as before," Ensign said. "We just wanted people to enjoy the day."
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