72nd Annual Dutch Festival is next week

Where has summer gone? The weeks are flying by and it’s already time for the 72nd annual Edgerton Dutch Festival. This year’s event kicks off on Thursday evening with food trucks, inflatables, dance, and baseball. 

All of this year’s activities take place at the Edgerton City Park.  In addition to the family activities, the Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO)  will be letting the public meet their dogs at 7:30. There will also be a drone demonstration and a rollover simulation, also hosted by the PCSO.

Thursday night will also feature a demonstration by Just For Pix, the local dance program. This will be held on the tennis courts at the park.

Friday, the inflatables will open at 3 p.m. That is also when the SWC food stand and the helicopter rides will start. One unique event this year will be a wooden shoe carver. He will be giving demonstrations at the park that afternoon as well. 

Friday night, the parade will be held at 6 p.m. This year’s theme is “Salute to Heroes,” and any hero-themed entries are encouraged! From superhero to real heroes, this is sure to be an entertaining parade. To register your float, contact Keith Buckridge. 

After the parade, there will be a bull riding event. This year, the FFA will be hosting a mutton busting competition as well. After the bull ride, around 10 p.m. there will be a fireworks display. 

Saturday is the biggest day of the festival, with events stretching from 6 a.m. to midnight. The EMS pancake feed will get everyone off to a good start with pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee. You could work off those calories at the Dutch Fun Run, which starts 7:30 a.m.  Not a runner? That’s okay. You can watch the kids at the pedal pull at 8:30. This year, that event will be happening on Mill Street north of the park.

At 10 a.m., the Craig Fey Memorial Fishing Contest will be held. This will be the first year that Craig will not be there to coordinate this annual event. The contest will be held at the Rock River Park and prizes will be given away. Come on out and remember someone who was a true hero in the community and watch children try to catch the biggest or the most fish! There will also be turtle races, so don’t miss out!

Other events throughout the day (see the schedule on Page 3 of this week’s Enterprise) include a craft and vendor fair, a caricature and balloon artist, a corn hole tournament, a car and tractor show, and the Cornerstone Quartet. 

One of the biggest and newest events at the Dutch will be the ATV Big Air Tour, which begins at 6 p.m. Saturday. ATV Big Air is a national touring ATV and dirt bike show with incredible stunts, gravity-defying jumps, music, choreography, and some of the best ATV and off-road riders in the country. This will be a free event and will be held on Mill Street. This is a spin-off event with some of the same people who performed in the BMX bike show the past few years. It’s sure to be very entertaining! 

The festival will finish with live music. This year the concerts will be held in the city park. Hitchville opens at 7:30 and Shirts and Skins begins their performance at 10 p.m. Hitchville is a Midwest Country Band featuring Heidi Owens and Matt Kneefe. Shirts and Skins covers all sorts of genres and musical styles. They feature artists from some of the most popular bands in the Twin Cities area.