People attending Oak Harbor’s Independence Day celebrations were welcomed by a weekend of perfectly clear skies and warm weather.

According to Magi Aguilar, the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, the Fourth of July festivities were a success, with several thousand visitors walking through the street fair, admiring fancy cars displayed at the Walk of Honor car show and enjoying a carnival ride in downtown Oak Harbor.

Among the over 80 booths and food trucks lined along Pioneer Way, the Whidbey CAREs stand offered passersby the opportunity to dunk a prominent community member in a water-filled tank to raise funds for a Ukranian family. Among the dunk tank victims there were Crescent Harbor Elementary School Principal Bill Weinsheimer and state Rep. Dave Paul.

According to Steve Schwalbe, secretary of the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor, about 1,000 folks showed up to the car show held on Saturday, with half voting for the best car among 49 candidates, which included a comic art-inspired car and a truck with a skeleton driver.

For the first time, the car show was moved from late April to Independence Day weekend. Rotary member Pete Petersen believes that the date change and the new location on Pioneer Way are what led to a better than usual turnout.

Kalani Gould shows off her freshly painted look. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

A group of people slides down as the ferris wheel rotates in the background. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Chelsea Kawi celebrates as she successfully hits the target, causing Rep. Dave Paul to fall into the tank. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Bill Bennett holds his #1 trophy next to his 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport, which he worked on for 20 years. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Spot, the Dalmatian driver, poses on his pedal car next to Michael Harris’ 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Cesar Rodriguez, who is alive and well, chose to put his spin on the show with a skeleton behind the wheel. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Gary Cooney poses in front of his 1979 Mercury Capri inspired by comic art. (Photo by Luisa Loi)

Barry Tesch poses in front of his 1980 Pontiac, a pace car for the Indy 500. (Photo by Luisa Loi)