Hillyard Festival Returns To Harmon Park
The annual Hillyard Festival kicks off tonight with a dinner and live country music at Harmon Park.
Event coordinators are hoping Saturday’s parade at 11 a.m. will draw a crowd even larger than the 7,000 people who watched last year.
Festival coordinator Bill Crippen said there will be even more games and booths for kids this year.
Most Hillyard-area businesses are getting involved in the four-day event, which starts today and runs through Sunday.
The COPS Northeast station at 5208 N. Market will have an open house to celebrate its fourth anniversary.
The Hillyard Fire and Rail Museum at 3202 E. Queen, which displays a 35-year-old caboose, will be open for tours.
Also, the Hillyard Lions Club will host a 25-cent bingo game as part of the festival. Proceeds will be used solely for the Hillyard area to help those in financial need.
Last year, the Lions Club distributed almost $7,000 to the neighborhood in the form of free eyeglasses for children, support for the Boy Scouts, Thanksgiving food baskets, Christmas tree sharing gifts, a children’s Halloween party, the Hillyard Food Bank and the Northeast Senior Center, according to club member Becky Cage.
Carnival rides, games, crafts, kids booths and clowns are all part of the annual celebration, which dates to the end of World War II.
Here are some featured events for this weekend’s Hillyard Festival:
Today
Music from 5 to 8 p.m. Bobby & The Rucus Band scheduled to play ‘50s and ‘60s hits. All music events will be at Harmon Park.
VIP dinner at 6 p.m.
Bingo, 5 to 9 p.m.
Friday Festival runs from noon to 10 p.m.
Music from 5 to 9 p.m.: Outwest performs from 5 to 6 p.m.; Loose Change, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m; and Out West, 8 to 9 p.m.
Bingo from 5 to 9 p.m.
Golf scramble at Esmeralda Golf Course begins at 8 a.m. Individual or foursome registration. Entry fee is $50 per person or $175 per foursome.
Saturday
Breakfast at Masonic Temple at Diamond and Market Street from 7 a.m. to noon. Cost is $3 for adults and $1.25 for children.
Festival runs from 10 a.m to 10 p.m.
Parade at 11 a.m. begins at Wabash and Market.
Music from 1 to 9 p.m.: Herrick’s Pride plays from 1 to 2 p.m.; Psycho Cadillac, 3:45 to 4:45 p.m; Cudmore Boys, 5:15 to 6 p.m.; Hillyard Bells & Trainmen, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; and Herrick’s Pride, 8 to 9 p.m.
Bingo from noon to 9 p.m.
Sunday
Festival runs from noon to 4 p.m.
Music from 12:30 to 3 p.m.: Cudmore Boys from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; and Wild Rose Ramblers, 2 to 3 p.m.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of area.