Thousands of area residents celebrated Independence Day in Jackson City Park amid motors and mud.

Several hundred antique vehicles, many of them sporting bright-colored paint jobs, drew appreciative looks at the Capaha Car Club show as part of Jackson' Fourth of July Celebration.

A short distance away, co-ed teams splashed around in three, straw-bale-lined mud pits, competing in the mud volleyball tournament.

Music and fireworks culminated the Jackson celebration and another one at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau.

The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band performed patriotic music at the Arena Park grandstand. Loud bangs of fireworks punctuated the air as area residents set off their own displays around Arena Park in advance of the official fireworks show.

Raymond G. Buhs speaks after receiving the Spirit of America Award on Wednesday at the Arena Park grandstand in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS

The Southeast Missourian Spirit of America Award was presented to Raymond G. Buhs of Cape Girardeau as part of the festivities. The award is presented annually to an individual who exudes the spirit of the United States within his or her community.

A former executive with Federal Materials Corp. and Southeast Missouri Stone, Buhs served for many years on the city's planning and zoning commission.

He served in the Navy, both in World War II and in the Korean War.

Lucas Presson, Southeast Missourian assistant publisher, in presenting the award, said Buhs had remarked "everybody ought to give something back" to their community.

Buhs told the crowd he was "shocked" to receive the award. "I appreciate this so much," he told the crowd.

"I think most of us do give something back," he said. "I would just like to say 'thank you' to everyone."

At the Jackson celebration, people got a bird's-eye view of festivities during the day by taking helicopter rides.

The newest attraction, a Slip 'N Slide by the Jackson Jaycees, drew a steady stream of children, enjoying a watery, downhill plunged, cooling off amid blazing temperatures.

Andrea Flint, president of the Jackson Jaycees, said people started lining up early Wednesday for the slide. As a result, the Jaycees opened the slide 30 minutes early, she said.

"It has been so great," she said, adding the slide provided an activity designed to appeal to those ages 8 to 14. But she added a number of Jaycee members and the Jackson High School swim team also took the plunge. "We did a few trial runs last (Tuesday) night," she said.

Proceeds from the Slip 'N Slide activity will go toward the Wonderland Camp, a residential camp at Lake of the Ozarks, which assists campers with disabilities.

Danny Davis of Jackson displayed his restored 1951, green Chevy pickup truck, which features a truck bed of polished wood, and a renovated, 1965 Airstream travel trailer.

"It runs on solar panels," Davis said of the travel trailer.

Much of the trailer, with its distinctive aluminum exterior, is original, he said. Davis said he did replace the linoleum floor with hard wood.

He has incorporated a stained-glass window in the Airstream. The window, he said, came from an old hotel in Cairo, Illinois.

The antique pickup truck has hauled the Airstream "all over" the nation, he said. On his travels, he said, every stop at a gas station becomes an event as people come over and take photos of the truck and travel trailer.

Passersby also take cell-phone photos as they drive on the highways, he said.

"It is a rolling show. People love it," Davis said.

Davis said the pickup truck, which has logged some 500,000 miles, is part of his family history. His grandfather owned it first and then his father.

"It is so timeless. It is amazing," said Davis, who also owns a 1937 Packard.

Cape Girardeau resident Dan Wheelock showed off his 1958 Ford coupe, featuring a white body and a black, grooved roof, along with dual headlights and taillights.

"I like the sound of a V-8 (engine)," he said of the Ford.

"My wife calls it a money pit," Wheelock said with a smile.

Near the mud courts, Austin Westrich of Cape Girardeau washed off a layer of mud under a fire hose sprinkler after he and his fellow team members participated in a volleyball game.

"It is just fun competition, a way to cool off in the heat," Westrich said.

Westrich said there is no game plan when it comes to mud volleyball other than to "just get the ball over the net."

Jackson firefighters hosed down the courts from time to time. Firefighter Tim Bleichroth said the goal was "to make sure it is nice and soupy."

mbliss@semissourian.com

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