News

Memorial Day Weekend packed with local festivals

Posted May 23, 2012 11:00 pm

Brian DeNeal

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Memorial Day Weekend is rarely boring, but few in Saline County remember a more action-packed schedule of events as this weekend with four festival in the county and one at Hardin County.

Sheduled this weekend are Old Settlers Days in Galatia, Raleigh Days in Raleigh, SpringFest in Carrier Mills, the Cars for Kids Cruizin' the Shawnee Car Show in Harrisburg and the Hardin County Heritage Festival in Elizabethtown.

Old Settlers Days

Jim Richey of the Galatia Old Settlers Days committee of the Lions Club said the festival normally does not fall on Memorial Day weekend, but the Little Egypt carnival had to be booked in coordination with Carrier Mills Springfest. The company is dividing the carnival rides and booths between the two towns.

"We are kind of a slave to our carnival," Richey said.

Richey - ag teacher at Gallatin County School - and daughters Kayla and Jessica, have all begun their summer vacation so they were using their free time Wednesday to set up the food and auction tent in downtown Galatia. They were a little nervous as the tent pulled with each small gust of wind. Having heard gusts up to 35 mph were in Thursday's forecast was not comforting.

The prediction of temperatures in the 90s did not bode well for the annual frog jumping competition because the frogs will have to be kept cool enough to compete, but higher temperatures tend to draw larger crowds than small ones.

Bill Patterson and Salty Dog headline Old Settlers Days 7 p.m. Saturday.

Raleigh Days

The predicted heat may cause Raleigh Days' opening night tradition to get messy. If temperatures cool by 5 p.m. when the Ice Cream Social starts, the ice cream may not turn to soup.

This year's Raleigh Days theme is Back in Time. Raleigh residents are going to be showing off some antique equipment like Dean Hutchison with his steam engine.

"It's kind of a thing where we walk down memory lane," Charlotte Brown said.

Kids games will be tailored to the theme with an apple peeling contest and rolling pin contest.

If the kids don't make a mess of themselves with the ice cream Friday, they surely will by 2 p.m. Saturday when the Coins in the Sand begins. The event is exactly what it sounds like. Kids dig through the sand to find hidden coins.

DeWayne Spaw brings Raleigh Days to a close Saturday.

Elizabethtown Hardin County Heritage Festival

While kids can cheer on the wrestlers at Carrier Mills SpringFest, bounce around with their frogs at Old Settlers Days, hold their hands over their ears at during the racing portion of the Cruisin' the Shawnee Car Show and dig for coins in sand at Raleigh Days they can watch their little duck bob on the waves of the Ohio River during Heritage Festival in Elizabethtown Saturday.

It is unknown if there is a strategy to racing little plastic ducks down the river, but it probably doesn't hurt to cheer them on.

Heritage Festival is a throwback to simpler days of yesteryear with a gunfighting demonstration and a play performed by the Heritage Festival Players. The play will be adapted from the 1860s and promoters promise dancing, comedy, gunfire, screaming and fighting.

All the action will be in the street in the shade between the Rose Hotel and the River Rose Inn.

The schedule for Memorial Day weekend in Southeastern Illinois is:

Galatia Old Settlers Days

Thursday

<ul>

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5 p.m. - Food tent, flea market and carnival opens with $12 armbands for the carnival

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6 p.m. - Enos and Phyllis Paris sing

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6:15 p.m. - Brenda Davis sings

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6:30 p.m. - Thelma Cruson sings

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6:45 p.m. - Kayla Richey plays piano solos

</li>

<li>

7 p.m. Stan and Abby Farlow sing

</li>

<li>

7:15 p.m. - Brenda Baine sings

</li>

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7:30 p.m. - The Generations of Carolyn Swan, Mona Cotter, Jeannie Swan and Laura Swan Williams sing

</li>

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8 p.m. - TBA

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8:15 p.m. - Addyson Evans sings

</li>

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8:30 p.m. - Joe Arview and Thunder Band performs</li>

</ul>

Friday

<ul>

<li>

11 a.m. - Food tent opens

</li>

<li>

4 p.m. - Flea market opens

</li>

<li>

5 p.m. - Carnival opens with $12 armbands

</li>

<li>

5:45 p.m. - Oldest Senior Citizen Contest

</li>

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5 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Galatia Historical Items on display at Galatia Medical Building

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6 p.m. - Little Mister and Miss Old Settlers Days

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6:30 p.m. - Cobb County Bluegrass

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7:15 p.m. - Haley Margenthaler

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7:30 p.m. - Cobb County Bluegrass

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<li>

8:15 p.m. - Haley Margenthaler

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<li>

8:30 p.m. - Cobb County Bluegrass

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<li>

9:15 p.m. - Haley Margenthaler

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<li>

9:30 p.m. - Cobb County Bluegrass</li>

</ul>

Saturday

<ul>

<li>

9 a.m. to noon - Lions Mobile Hearing Screen Unit offers free testing across from the Post Office

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<li>

9 a.m. - Washer Pitching Tournament between Hughes Carpet and Johnson Garage. Cliff Debose at (618) 926-6682 is coordinating.

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9 a.m. to noon - Vision 22 Diabetes Retina Screening across from the Post Office

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9:45 p.m. - Kiddie Parade with participants to line up at the old Sloan Funeral Home

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<li>

10 a.m. - Food tent opens

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10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Galatia Historical Society display of items at former Galatia medical building. The organizer is Susan Oxford at (618) 499-9824.

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10:45 a.m. - Frog jumping, bubble gum blowing, kiddie games at stage for ages 13 and under

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<li>

1 p.m. - Main parade, call Gary Brown at 525-1420. Entrants are to line up at Galatia High School. The theme is "Gone Country."

</li>

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2 p.m. - Galatia Lions Big Auction at the food tent

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6 p.m. - Cake Walk by Galatia Masonic Lodge

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6:30 p.m. - Open Class Frog Jumping for first 50 signed in by 6 p.m. at the corner of the stage, one frog per entry, $2 entry fee, first place wins $50

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7 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Bill Patterson and Salty Dog

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7:45 p.m. - Community Builder's Award by Galatia Masonic Lodge No. 684</li>

</ul>

Raleigh Days

Friday

<ul>

<li>

4:45 - Opening Prayer by Mark Finnie from Mt. Pleasant Social Brethren Church

</li>

<li>

4:50 - National Anthem - Raegan Gray

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5 p.m. - Ice Cream Social

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6 p.m. - Raleigh Senior Citizens Recognition

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6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Enos and Phyllis Paris

</li>

<li>

7 p.m. - Little Mister and Miss Photo Contest, ages 1 thru 5

</li>

<li>

7:30 p.m. - Union Grove Gospel Band

</li>

<li>

Movie at the Park</li>

</ul>

Saturday

<ul>

<li>

All day events - Flea market, book walks for the kids, inflatable bounce house, quilt raffle, go back in time quilt display, tractor display and picture displays

</li>

<li>

10:30 p.m. - Back In Time Games for the Kids

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11:30 p.m. - Cake Walk

</li>

<li>

Noon - Registration begins for Poker Run, motorcycles or antique cars, with proceeds to benefit Raleigh Police Department

</li>

<li>

1 p.m. - Parade, lead by Poker Run

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<li>

1:45 p.m. - FROGS youth singers of Raleigh Baptist Church

</li>

<li>

2 p.m. - Coins in the Sand

</li>

<li>

2:30 p.m. - Apple Peeling Contest and Rolling Pin Throw

</li>

<li>

3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Bikes return and awards

</li>

<li>

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. - JC Cloggers

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<li>

5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Turn benches around for last entertainment

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<li>

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. - DeWayne Spaw</li>

</ul>

For more information e-mail Raleighdays@gmail.com or call Charlotte Brown at (618) 841-9124

Carrier Mills SpringFest schedule of events:

Thursday, Gospel night

<ul>

<li>

5 p.m. - Carnival opens

</li>

<li>

5:45 - First Baptist Church

</li>

<li>

6 p.m. - First United Methodist Church JAM Kids and WOW Praise team

</li>

<li>

8 p.m. - The Nehrkorns

</li>

<li>

8 p.m. - USA Championship Wrestling on Main Street</li>

</ul>

Friday

<ul>

<li>

5 p.m. - Carnival opens

</li>

<li>

8 p.m. - USA Championship Wrestling on Main Street

</li>

<li>

8 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Salty Dogs</li>

</ul>

Saturday

<ul>

<li>

6 a.m. to 10 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast at Mason Lodge

</li>

<li>

8:30 a.m. - Registration for 5k

</li>

<li>

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - 5k run/walk

</li>

<li>

5 p.m. - Carnival opens

</li>

<li>

5 p.m. - Cake Walk with special guest Steve O. from USA Wrestling

</li>

<li>

7 p.m. - Pet Parade

</li>

<li>

7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. - Darling Parade

</li>

<li>

8 p.m. - USA Championship Wrestling on Main Street</li>

</ul>

Cruisin' the Shawnee Car Show at Accelaquarter Raceway Park, State Route 34 north of Harrisburg schedule:

<ul>

<li>

8 a.m. - Gate opens, registration begins

</li>

<li>

Noon - Monument to tornado victims dedicated

</li>

<li>

Afternoon - Awards, racing and maybe a cruise through the Shawnee National Forest</li>

</ul>

Hardin County Heritage Festival, Elizabethtown Friday

<ul>

<li>

6 p.m. - Heritage Fest Pageant at Hardin County School</li>

</ul>

Saturday

<ul>

<li>

8 a.m. - Welcome Center opens, Flea Market opens and vendors open for business

</li>

<li>

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Ye Ole Heritage Shoppe open

</li>

<li>

11 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Busy Hands Quilt Show - Ole Heritage Shop

</li>

<li>

Noon - KIDS, KIDS, KIDS at Elizabethtown pavilion

</li>

<li>

4 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Local Talent, singing at Town Pavilion

</li>

<li>

5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.- Duck Race on the Ohio River

</li>

<li>

6:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - Gunfight Demonstration

</li>

<li>

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - "1860's" Era Three Act Street Play </li>

</ul>

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