Festival weekends set for LaCrosse, Tekoa

Farmers' Fest to focus on building

Under the theme “Building Dreams, Memories and Friendships,” LaCrosse will mark its annual Farmers’ Festival this weekend.

To fit the “building” theme, LaCrosse Community Pride will showcase its efforts to remodel the grocery store and marketplace for western Whitman County.

“The whole town will be there,” said Jerry Townsend, member of Community Pride. “What better chance to show them what we’re trying to do?”

Members of the group will provide tours of the grocery store building, with plans for the future store on display, from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

Tiles will be available for purchase, where donors can have their names marked on tiles that will go on display in the finished building.

The group will also host a happy hour with hors d’oeuvres in the Masonic hall from 1 to 5 p.m. before the Dollars for Scholars dinner and auction, which begins at 5:15 in the school gym.

Farmers’ Festival events begin Friday night with a Spaghetti Dinner at the TeaPot Café, followed by music and dancing at the Pastime Tavern.

Events begin with breakfast at the Masonic Hall from 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Breakfast will be served by LaCrosse Community Outreach.

At 9 a.m., members of next year’s senior class will begin their car wash at the school bus barn. Then, at 9:30 the parade will line up at the scale house. The Kiddies’ Parade will line up next to the post office on 3rd Street for a 10 a.m. start.

The big parade begins down Main Street at 10:30 a.m.

The town’s chalk artists will decorate the football field sidewalk at 11. Also at 11 a petting zoo will open near the City Park.

At noon the Community Club’s Pit Barbecue and Potluck Picnic will begin at the park.

At 1 p.m., a celebration of all things mud will begin on Scott (Red Barn) Road.

Featured in the Mudfest will be a mud dive for children, where young mud lovers can root around for special prizes. A special shower will be on hand to wash off the muck.

Highlight of Mudfest is the Mud Bog race, where anyone with a vehicle that can make it through a 100-yard drag strip of mud can race their rigs.

Special Hamboggers will be on sale at the cook shack at the mud bog site.

The city pool will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 for a free swim.

The Money and Prize Scramble will be at 1 p.m. at the City Park. Age groups are 1-3 and 4-6 years old. At 1:30 the LaCrosse Community Club will host races at the football field.

The Dollars for Scholars banquet and auction starts at 5:15 at the school.

Farmers’ Fest concludes with dancing at the Pastime Tavern from 9 p.m. to close.