CALEDONIA — Caledonia Days is on its way back to town this weekend, returning to Ola J. Pickett Park to celebrate its 20th year.
Kelsey Kendrick, who is organizing the festival for the first time this year, said Caledonia Days will kick off with a concert from 6-10 p.m. Friday, followed by a full day of food, an arts and crafts market, a kids zone and more from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s our 20th anniversary, so it’s a really big year for us,” Kendrick said. “But it’s a way to bring the community together and bring all the families around together.”
Friday night’s concert will feature the band “Almost Famous,” Kendrick said. Select vendors will be set up during the concert as well, as a smaller form of Saturday’s offerings.
Members of the community are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to sit on during the performance. They are also encouraged to bring their dancing shoes, she said.
“People usually get out there and dance, and there’s a church that … hands out glow in the dark things,” Kendrick said. “And there will be fun stuff for the kids to do as well.”
Saturday morning will kick off at 8 a.m. with a flag-raising ceremony, Kendrick said, a new addition for the festival. At the same time, registration for the Boo Cruise car show will begin.
Carl Ulmer has organized the car show for the past 15 years. Since the show started, he has watched the car show grow from about 60 to 70 cars to 167 cars at last year’s festival.
This year, registration will last from 8 a.m. to noon, with winners declared later that afternoon, he said. The entry fee is only $10, and the show is open to any make or model of car, truck, motorcycle or rat rod, he said.
“We don’t discriminate, whether it’s a Pinto or a Cadillac,” Ulmer said. “Whether it’s an Isuzu or a Chevrolet truck. Foreign cars or American. It’s diversity that makes it unique.”
The Boo Cruise is not a judged show, he said. Instead, participants cast votes for their four favorite vehicles, naming first, second and third place, along with best of show. All of the money the registration fee raises, he said, is given out as door prizes.
For more information about the car show, contact Ulmer at (662) 574-2678.
While the car show starts revving up, a pet parade and contest will also be starting in another portion of the park, according to the Caledonia Days Facebook page.
From 8:30-9:20 a.m., pet owners should register their pets for the events. Then, at 9:30, registered pets will parade to the Main Stage.
Finally, at 10, there will be a pet contest, where winners will be chosen in four categories: Best Costume, Largest Pet, Smallest Pet and Most Unusual Pet.
While those competitions are going on, more than 80 vendors will be set up for an arts and crafts market, selling everything from trucker hats to permanent jewelry to honey and handmade crafts, Kendrick said. There will be food vendors selling funnel cakes, barbecue, fried chicken, barbecue, and “just about any kind of food you really want” at a fair, she said.
Attendees can look forward to the official Caledonia Days 20th anniversary shirts, Kendrick said, which some people collect as memorabilia each year. This year’s shirt for sale will be black and gold, with volunteers wearing emerald green.
There will be a kids zone set up throughout the day. Adam Lux, with the Steens-based company Jump N Bounce, said it will be the company’s second year at the festival.
“We have a lot of activities for the kids,” Lux said. “We have bounce houses, obstacles courses, slides … we’ve got a trampoline bungee jump.”
Attendance is always high at Caledonia Days, he said, and children enjoy getting to play in the kids area throughout the day. The festival will also include mini golf, pony rides and other activities for families, the Facebook page said.
“We’re just excited to see all the people there with their families,” Kendrick said.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
