By Ted Waddell
LIVINGSTON MANOR — A few years ago, Dr. Don Simkin, a local dentist, came up with the idea of creating a series of Olympic-like contests for the kids around town.
On Sunday afternoon, the Dr. Don Games was held at Rotary Park in Livingston Manor – minus all the snow featured at the annual Livingston Manor Ice Carnival.
After the opening ceremony showcasing the talents of the Mountain Tones Band, the games began: the quadrathalon, sports suitcase relay, "Brush'em up Plaque Buster," shoe kick, pyramids and the final event of the day: a four-way tug o' war.
In the sports suitcase relay, each member of a team unpacked a suitcase containing assorted sports equipment, put on the gear, took it all off and repacked the suitcase in time for the next teammate to repeat the process.
The object of the shoe kick was for contestants to don a ratty old sneaker, worn-out shoe or a smelly boot and kick it as far as possible. Points were awarded for how far the footwear traveled.
No games sponsored by a dentist would be complete without an event promoting good dental hygiene.
In "Brush 'em up Plaque Buster," each team was presented with a tabletop loaded with gooey "plaque".
Team members then brushed the tabletop clean with – what else? – toothbrushes.