EASTHAM — The mood at the 46th Windmill Weekend was as chill as ever, though the weather was decidedly hot. This is a small-town get-together where the opening night at the Elks Lodge features a talent show — “not a contest!” says organizer Bonnie Nuendel. And where there were six entries and six prizes in the sand art contest, according to Christine Mickle, the town’s recreation director and, on Saturday, its sand art coordinator.
It’s about milling around on the Windmill Green, seeing neighbors, and welcoming back a slower post-summer pace.
Still, the weekend includes some moments of competitive energy. Sunday’s 5K road race, organized by Joslyn Bonfini Beasley, had its winners: Micah Risk was the fastest woman with a time of 24:44 and Hunter Hunt led the men in 19:41. In the under-age-12 category, the winners were River Silver who finished in 29:31 and Huckleberry Silver at 26:36. The under-12s edged out the over-70s, where Wendy Gladstone came in at 30:41 and Tom Shanahan at 45:16.
The rest of the field did well, too. Ages 13-19: Chloe Anderson (24:55) and Charlie Mills (19:47); ages 20-29: Lauren Lowry (28:37) and Drew Hawkinson (25:09); ages 30-39: Elyse Viviano (25:07) and Kevin O’Connell (22:53); ages 40-49: Emily Miller (24:48) and James Barnard (24:47); ages 50-59: Sheilah Krasnickas (26:05) and Mark Sailer (20:52); ages 60-69: Jayne O’Brien (26:26) and Peter Lafontaine (23:43).
There were trophies for cars. Jeff Eldredge’s 1969 Buick Riviera took the car show’s “Chairman’s Choice” award, Laurie Kraynick’s 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood was Best in Show, and Fred Chancy’s 1941 Willys Coupe was the Best Hotrod.
There were other winners on wheels: Best Truck, Pre-1990, was Patricia Centrella’s 1957 Jeep FC150; Best Truck Post-1990 was Lori O’Neill’s 2015 Ram Rebel; Best GM Vehicle, Pre-1970 was Richie Adams’s 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS; Best GM Vehicle Post-1970 was Bob Smith’s 2019 Corvette Grand Sport; Best Ford Vehicle Pre-1970: David Selpe’s 1923 Ford T-Bucket; Best Post-1970 Ford: Rick Budion’s 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1; Best Mopar, Pre-1970, Rick Pellegrino’s 1968 Dodge Charger; Best Mopar Post-1970 was Kevin Marshall’s 1971 Plymouth Barracuda; Best Import (all years) was George Trach’s 1978 Porsche 911 SC; and Richie Centrella won Most Unique with his 1952 Ford F3 Rack Truck.
And there was pride in the parade, where Friends of the Eastham Library took the grand prize. First prize went to Paddle Cape Cod, second prize to Seamen’s Bank, and third to Three Sisters. Honorable mentions went to the Elks, the Henson Family, Debbie Abbott, Cape Associates, Cape Cod Pole Fitness, and the select board.
