Riverside Days plans shaping up
Plans for Springfield’s Riverside Days are shaping up for next week’s celebration with some new events as well as the all-time favorites.
The celebration will get underway Thursday evening, June 23, with an ice cream social in Brown’s Park. Springfield Community Theatre is bringing the Minnesota Over 60s Band to town for a 7 o’clock free concert. Serving of the pie and ice cream, hosted by the people of the United Methodist Church, will begin at 6 o’clock.
The Sons of the American Legion will have a food and beverage stand by the American Legion Club on O’Connell Avenue from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Springfield Garden Club will hold their eighty-first annual flower show on Friday, June 24, at the Farmers & Merchants Bank.
The grand parade will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 24. There will be music by Lang Entertainment and dancing on O’Connell Avenue in front of the American Legion Club after the parade and until midnight.
Events for Saturday, June 25, will include a 5K Fun Run / Walk, and a Kids’ Fishing Derby during the morning. A classic car show and craft show will be held at the Schwanke Engines building, Highway 14 East, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Springfield Fire Department will host a bean bag tournament in Riverside Park starting at noon. The firemen’s pork chop feed will be from 4:30 to 8:00 at the fire station on Cass Avenue. Music by Hicktown Mafia will also be at the fire station from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Springfield Sings, a talent contest for amateur singers, ages 15-25, will be held for the second time at LeBon Boutique and Entertainment on Central Street Saturday evening starting at 7:30.
On Sunday, June 26, pancakes will be served in Riverside Park from 7:30 a.m. until noon by the FFA Alumni Boosters. Springfield Tigers town team will play baseball in Riverside Park at 5:00 Sunday.
There’ll be golf, baseball and softball tournaments going on all weekend long.
New at Riverside Days will be a Kids Party in the Park Friday and Saturday. The party in Riverside Park will provide 7 inflatables and 14 game stands sponsored by numerous businesses, agencies and individuals. There will be no carnival this year — the Inflatables and Game Stands will replace the carnival. A Duck Derby will be conducted Friday noon when 300 colorful little plastic ducks will be plunged into the Big Cottonwood River at the Cass Avenue Bridge and float down stream — all vying to cross the finish line first to be named top duck and win cash prizes for their owners. The Duck Derby is being conducted to help finance the Kids Party in the Park. The little plastic ducks are for sale at First National Bank, the Farmers & Merchants Bank and SouthPoint Financial Credit Union at $5 each, or 3 for $12. Winners will be announced at the Legion Club after the parade on Friday evening.
Wristbands for the Kids Party in the Park are also being offered for sale at Springfield financial institutions at $15 each pre-sale, or $25 at the gate and good for both days. Kids who want to join the party must wear a wristband that will give them entry to the complete party Friday and Saturday — is good for the two days.
There will also be a mechanical bull; wristbands for the mechanical bull must be purchased separately, and at the gate.
More information about Riverside Days can be found in this newspaper. Watch for complete details in stories and advertisement’s in next week’s Advance-Press.