Centennial celebration planned in Wynot

By Deanna Anderson
Cedar County news
WYNOT — Wynot’s Centennial Celebration starts first thing Sunday morning, Sept. 2 with a Men’s Softball Tournament.
According to Centennial Chairman John Eskins there are 12 teams entered. The tournament was organized by Lee Heimes.
A pancake breakfast will be ready by 9 a.m. at the Parish Hall.
A noon parade, which Jay Heimes is coordinating, will kick off the afternoon activities.
“It will be a good parade. We already have over 60 entries,” said Eskins.
Delicious food at a lunch stand will be available during the day at the Main Street Hall. Snack booths will include funnel cakes, cotton candy, popcorn and more.
There will also be a display of antiques and other historical items at the Main Street Hall, according to Co-chairman Diane Wuebben.
“Joe Schulte donated a lot of pictures and information. His Dad Alex Schulte was one of the founders of Wynot,” said Wuebben.
You will also be able to stop at one of the oldest original buildings in Wynot and choose from a variety of ice cream. An Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor will be located at the original Harness Shop on Main Street.
A horseshoe tournament, horse and buggy rides, a chainsaw artist, and  arts and crafts will also be featured.
At 2 p.m., a time capsule will be unveiled at Telleson Park.
Items were put in the capsule 25 years ago at the time of Wynot’s Jubilee Celebration, said Wuebben.
“We don’t know what is in the capsule,” said Eskins who is also the Mayor of Wynot. “The town board will be adding items when it is opened.”

There will be face painting and games for the kids along with a Kiddie Tractor Pull at 2:15 p.m.
The Greased Pig Contest, at 3:30 p.m., is open to any age — from the smallest to the largest, said Wuebben.
Old time photos will also be taken that day by Golden Photography.
Grilled burgers, brats and hot dogs will be available at 5 p.m.

Showcase your talent at the talent show or just come and enjoy the entertainment at 7 p.m.
You will be able to dance the rest of the evening away on the Main Street in Wynot. The Street Dance will feature Neo Johnsons.
A lot of Wynot’s alumni are planning to attend the Centennial said Eskins.
It will be great family fun.

The third act — relatively unknown to most area residents — is just on the verge of hitting the big time, though.
After five years of touring across the country performing over 200 shows a year, Phil Vaught is about to sign a new recording contract with a major record label.
Vaught’s talent will be showcased when he does two performances at the Cedar County Fair. He will open Thursday night for country stars ‘Heartland.’  He will also be the opening act Saturday night for ‘Sawyer Brown.’
Vaught said he’s really enjoyed making music for fans, but feels he is established enough, now, to move to the next stage in his career.
“I was very careful to not expose myself to the business of music here in town while I was out on the road making a living,” Vaught said in a Monday phone interview from his Nashville area home. “When  the time came to think about a recording deal. I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t interfere with my livelihood.”
Vaught said a lot of musicians move to Nashville and work odd jobs and earn little money while trying to find their big break.
“It seems the standard is that you move to Nashville to make it big, then you starve waiting for your big break. I didn’t want it to be that way,” he said. “I came in and said, ‘hey I’ve been doing 200 shows a year and I can make it.”
The 28 year-old western Kentucky native said he enjoys putting on live shows and opening for such big name acts as Big and Rich and the Wreckers.
It is time to hit the studio and lay down a few tracks to see if he can’t take his career in a different direction, though.
Vaught has earned a reputation during his five years of touring as a musician that can fire up a crowd with his high energy performances.
His own brand of country music, which sounds a bit like the country group ‘Blue County,’ is only part of the act, though.
He can also handle a rock tune with the best of them. He enjoys doing covers of hits by Journey and Steve Perry.
Vaught first began performing hymnals with his siblings at his father’s Baptist church. His brothers taught him how to play guitar and he also learned to play the drums.

By the time he was in high school, he had graduated to playing local and regional clubs.
Vaught said music has always been a part of his life. For a few years he worked in a factory, but he missed the music, so he gave that up and began touring instead.
“I just love getting up and sharing my music with people,” he said.
Local audiences will have two chances to see him perform this week. He opens for Heartland Thursday and he will open for Sawyer Brown Saturday.