Something for everyone at Hampton Community Day

The morning of July 3 started out looking like a continuation of multiple days of precipitation, but the clouds rolled back and the sun did shine for the annual Hampton Community Day.

No one was worried about the weather, anyway.

“People in Pittsburgh love their music. They love their food, and they really love their fireworks. We know how to handle a little bit of rain,” said Kevin Flannery, former director of community services for the township.

Flannery retired this year but continues to get talked into assisting with community events.

“They still ask me to help. I can’t get away from them,” Flannery said, smiling.

He had a major part in selecting the music for the festival, including rock band No Bad JuJu and Brass Metropolis, which covers songs by Chicago.

“These bands are great. They connect with people from all over. I’m a big fan of both. After the bands play, we have music set up to go in conjunction with the fireworks, too,” said Flannery.

This was the fifth or sixth year that No Bad JuJu has played at Community Day, according to Mark Matteo, the band’s founder. And the members weren’t scared off by the thought of storms, either, as they’ve played in the rain multiple times.

“Oh, we’ve really had some close calls,” said Matteo. “We’ll play right through the rain. It’s the lightning that’s the problem. I remember playing a show when we were under a roof, but the rain was coming down sideways, so we had to move the equipment back and by the end of the show my back was against the rear wall, I had no more room to move,”

No Bad JuJu has released three albums over the 20 years the band has been in existence, and Matteo hinted that another release is on the horizon.

“I have a solo single coming out soon, but it’s definitely time for us to put another album out,” he said.

The music on the stage quickly became the backdrop to the event as the evening drew closer to dark.

Foot traffic at the food stands was steady, but no line was longer than the one for funnel cakes. Event goers waited nearly 20 minutes for one of R & J Concessions’ homemade confections, and the line stretched far across the grassy field.

“It’s a funnel cake. It’s worth the wait,” said Carrie Meier, who traveled from New Castle to hang out with her friend Staci Monroe of Richland.

“I’ve been coming here for probably 20 years. This year, I got Carrie to come down. We saw the line for the funnel cakes, so we had to try them,” said Monroe.

June and Ron Arner, R & J Concessions owners, have been in business for 49 years and married for much of that time.

“We do festivals and carnivals all over the place. This is our third year at Hampton. We like it here,” said June.

The reason the funnel cakes are so desirable is the way they are made. Unlike many funnel-cake makers who use a store-bought batter and a large vat of heavy grease, Ron and June use a recipe with real eggs and milk, and they cook the fluffy cakes to perfection in cast-iron skillets.

“It’s a guarded secret recipe, so don’t ask,” said June.

Just across the hill from the funnel cakes was a long line for a whole different reason.

Kids of all ages lined up on top of a hill in the park wearing bathing suits and shorts, awaiting a chance to glide down a giant homemade water slide flowing with bubbles, water and eventually, mud.

It’s become a tradition at Community Day because one man goes to a lot of trouble to make it happen.

Hampton resident David Ricci, 45, brings giant pieces of clear plastic and garden hoses to create the massive slide.

“I’ve been doing it for, like, five or six years now. It’s just something fun that the kids look forward to,” he said.

Many of the kids were covered from head to toe in mud.

“It gets like this every year. It turns into a big mudslide. I brought a bubble machine this year, too,” said Ricci.

Parents looked on in dismay and then directed their children to the hosing area to wash off.

Some kids chose to get soaked on the water slide, while other youngsters played sand volleyball and basketball on the nearby courts.

After the sun went down the streetlights went dark, and at around 9:30, Pyrotecnico put on a lengthy display of fireworks, capped by a spectacular grand finale that brought a close to a rain-free day.

Jason Mignanelli is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.