After volunteering at last year’s Caledonia Days and seeing the joy the festivities brought to the community, Christina Williams felt called to get more involved the next go around.
“My favorite part is just seeing such a small town put on an event that’s as big as it is, and that continues to keep growing like it does,” Williams told The Dispatch. “… Bringing people in the community out to one location, and seeing everyone have a good time and be able to offer different things that they don’t get to do every day.”
Williams, who is organizing the festival for the first time this year, enlisted the help of her friend Hope Potter. The team has been piecing together this year’s Caledonia Days since March and are excited to finally see the event come to fruition, Potter said.
The 21st annual Caledonia Days are set for Oct. 17-18 at Ola J. Pickett Park. The two-day event will feature musical acts, food vendors, a car show and a pet contest.
Last year’s Caledonia Days were estimated to have brought in anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 attendees to the town, Williams said. Organizers hope to hit the same mark this year.
For Williams, this event has served as a way to showcase the best aspects of Caledonia, and she has been grateful to help it continue to grow.
“My favorite part is … just seeing this event grow every year as it has, and seeing all the vendors come together and what the event’s going to produce and bring into our town,” she said.
This year’s festivities open with at least 100 vendors selling homemade crafts from 5-7 p.m. at the park before The Dukes of Country take to the main stage for a three-hour set from 7-10 p.m.
Saturday will kick off with registration for the Boo Cruise car show from 8 a.m. to noon. Organized by Carl Ulmer for the last 16 years, the car show has grown from about 40 cars in its early years to more than 130 competitors last year, Ulmer said.
“It really has grown, though, and everybody really likes it,” Ulmer said. “It’s a laid-back type of situation where you ain’t got to worry about being a spit-polished, shined vehicle. If it’s got a dent in it or something, it doesn’t matter as much as some of the bigger shows where people critique everything on a car.”
Ulmer said any car, motorcycle, hot-rod or wheeled machine is welcome to roll into the competition.
“There’s no restrictions on year, models, cars, trucks, motorcycles (or) tractors,” Ulmer said. “If it’s got wheels, bring it.”
Competitors who paid the $10 registration fee to enter the competition will also vote for their favorite vehicles, Ulmer said. Three winners will be selected throughout the day, along with a Best of Show Award and door prize drawings for contestants.
Fun for the whole family
While the car contest puts the pedal to the metal, registration for the pet parade will be going on from 8:30-9:20 a.m. on the other side of the park, Williams said. Donations collected during the contest will support the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society.
The contest will begin at 10 a.m., with winners being selected for Best Costume, Largest Pet, Smallest Pet and Most Unusual Pet, Williams said.
On the main stage Saturday, there will also be musical performances throughout the day starting with the Caledonia High School Marching Band at 9 a.m., followed by the Revive Worship group. Live music will continue until 5 p.m., featuring Joe Austin and The Tallahatchies, Pine Hill Counties with Noah Carter, Victory Tabernacle and Brayden Sansing.
About 130 vendors will sell home made crafts ranging from woodworking to jewelry, along with more than 20 vendors offering food, including hibachi, fries, hamburgers and barbeque.
There will be a kids’ zone set up throughout both days of the festival, which is always a popular attraction, Adam Lux with Jump-N-Bounce told The Dispatch. Lux said that this will be the Steens-based company’s third year at the festival, bringing with them obstacle courses, bounce houses and slides.
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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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
