Smithville, MO, families enjoy food trucks, rides, bubbles – and honor one of their own at annual festival

Small-town Missouri residents filled downtown Smithville over Father’s Day weekend for live music, local vendors, carnival rides and a festival tradition now decades old.

Smithville, a town of roughly 11,000 about 30 minutes north of Kansas City, has hosted its annual Lake Festival for around 40 years, Vice President Shauna Houghton said. The volunteer-run event centers on celebration, community and family, according to its website.

Houghton, who has lived in Smithville for 26 years, said she has volunteered alongside extended family and friends for the past five years.

The festival opened Thursday evening with several performers, including the Kansas City Chiefs’ official drumline, the team mascot K.C. Wolf and a ’90s cover band called Fool House.

Guests browsed food trucks and local vendors along Main and Bridge streets Friday and Saturday. Part of Commercial Street turned into a giant bubble bath, where children danced in foam up to their chins for hours Saturday afternoon. Face painting, live chalk art, taco trucks and carnival games drew families from across the area. An illuminated Ferris wheel towered above downtown’s brick buildings and could be seen across town.

This year, the festival also included a car show, with vehicles parading through town Saturday before stopping at Heritage Park.

The show honored former Smithville resident Scott Ritzinger, who was killed in a gas explosion at his home in January. He was a familiar face in the community and an active participant in the Northland Wheels car group, according to Angela Metoyer, a member of the local auto club.

Ritzinger was passionate about encouraging young men and women to become mechanics, Houghton said. The car show was one way to continue his legacy and love for cars.

Proceeds from the event will fund a scholarship for Smithville High School students entering trade schools after graduation.

“We hope to do this every year,” Houghton said during the show’s award ceremony. “[We want to] honor more kids in Smithville who are going into the trades.”