By ANN ALLEN
Indiana Correspondent

MENTONE, Ind. — Every June for more years than anyone can count, residents of Mentone have set aside time to celebrate the egg.

It’s appropriate they do so, since the area’s thousands of chickens have made the town located on Indiana routes 19 and 25 in southern Kosciusko County the Egg Basket of the Midwest, a distinction carefully marked by a 3,000-pound concrete egg listed as one of Indiana’s more unusual monuments.

But there’s nothing unusual about the town’s focus on the egg, which annually swells its population many times over. This year’s festival, sponsored by the Mentone Chamber of Commerce, is set for June 2-4 and uses as its theme: “This is My Country.”

Scheduled events, many of them egg-related, are as follows:
Thursday, June 2
5 p.m. - Flea markets, crafts, food vendors and kids’ area, uptown
9 a.m.-5 p.m. - Bell Memorial Library book and video sale, library
7:30 p.m. - Spike and the Bulldogs, (in memory of Russell & Leona Eber)
Friday, June 3
11 a.m.-7 p.m. - Bell Museum pork sandwich and pie, tent
4-10 p.m. – Kids’ area with attractions from Extreme Fun, uptown
4 p.m. – 18th annual Egg Festival Car, Truck, Tractor and Motorcycle Show
9 a.m.-5 p.m. - Bell Memorial Library book and video sale, library
6 -9 p.m. - 1950s and ‘60s music; 50-50 drawing, uptown
4 p.m.-until sold out - Lions Club chicken BBQ, fire station
Saturday, June 4
7 a.m. - Egg breakfast – Boy Scouts, followed by kids’ games, tent
8 a.m. - Egg City 5K Run, fire station
9 a.m.-5 p.m. - Bell Memorial Library book and video sale, library
9 a.m. - Extreme Fun kids’ area, flea markets, crafts, food stands
9 a.m. - 3-on-3 basketball with Bill Patrick, Mentone Gym
10 a.m. - Pony rides and petting zoo
10 a.m. - Judging parade entries, parade line-up site
11 a.m. - Parade, “This Is My Country” - parade marshals, Women’s Auxiliary
11 a.m.- 8 p.m. - “Guitar Hero” contest sponsored by the Boy Scouts, tent
Noon - 3-on-3 basketball, Mentone Gym
12:30 p.m. - Miss Chick and Mr. Rooster contest, fire station
1 p.m. - Northern Indiana Pullers/ Garden Tractor Pull weigh-in, park
2 p.m. - Northern Indiana Pullers/ Garden Tractor Pull, park
1:30 p.m. - Second annual Corn Hole Tournament, car lot next to stage
1:30 p.m. - Kiddie Tractor Pull, stage
2:30 p.m. - Egg Toss, stage
4 p.m. - Great Egg Nest Race, corner of Jackson and Tucker streets
5:30 p.m. - First Baptist Church of Mentone Choir, stage
6:30 p.m. - Cake Walk, stage
7 p.m. - Winners of Cute Baby Contest announced, stage
7:15 p.m. - Miss Mentone Crowning
7 p.m. - Shakin’ Bake (country band)