Hot Desert Nights really hot

DESERT AIRE - The annual Hot Desert Nights community celebration here on Saturday was indeed hot. Depending on whom you asked, the temperature topped out between 95 and 105 degrees.

"It was probably 98, and it was hotter at the drag races. It's asphalt over there," said golf tourney and car show organizer Valerie Carter.

In spite of the heat, the attendance was about the same as last year. The drag race grandstand was full and private hangar parties overflowed.

The crowd appeared a bit sparse at the park between 3 and 4 p.m. That could be because people were spread out under trees and other objects that afforded shade.

The drags had one problem, celebration organizer Bob Adler noted: No vehicle was declared fastest because the timing equipment failed.

There were three winners at the car show. Lyn Abrahamson of Renton won People's Choice Award with a 1932 Plymouth.

The best classic car was a 1956 Ford Victoria owned by Donny Maletta of Desert Aire. The Best Hot Rod went to Brian and Valerie Fluetsch of Olympia and their 1932 Ford Roadster.

The mixed four-person scramble golf tournament was won by the team of Steve Boligeois, Rob McKeever, Ryan Stier and Jason Jamison with 60.

There was a tie for second place by teams scoring 63. They broke the tie by comparing hole scores from No. 18 back until one team's score was lower than the other's.

Second place went to Bruce and Linda Vincent and Eric and Monee Farkososky. Keith and Leslie Savisky and Dave and Cheri Loden took third place.

The closest-to-the-pin winners were:

No. 3 - Brian Coker, 3-8.

No. 6 - Keith Savisky, 3-1.

No. 14 - Jerry Armstrong, 25-1.

No. 11 - Monee Farkososky, NDG.