When the Hill and Dale Club announced there would be no Historical Days festival in 2005, community members from various organizations came together with the idea of continuing the longstanding tradition of a summer festival in New Carlisle. The festival was renamed Hometown Days and will be celebrating its 10th annual event this year from July 25th through 27th.
Originally sponsored by the Lions Club until the New Carlisle Hometown Days organization was able to gain nonprofit status in its own right, the Hometown Days festival aims to provide a fun and family-oriented weekend of entertainment for town residents and visitors alike.
Additionally, the weekend event provides a venue for many community organizations and groups to conduct their biggest fundraisers of the year.
The center of the festival will once again be Memorial Park, as an array of vendors will line the walkways with an assortment of arts, crafts and other items for sale. Plenty of food options will be available to festival-goers as well. Carnival rides, bounce houses, and Water Wars will provide a variety of activities for the kids. And if that’s not enough, the sound of live entertainment from the Park Gazebo will fill the air all weekend, from the island sounds of steel drummer Kent Arnsbarger on Friday afternoon to the return of Elvis on Sunday.
The action won’t be limited to the Park. The spectacular Night Magic fireworks are returning for a fourth year. The skies will light up over Olive Elementary football field at dusk on Friday night, with a rain date scheduled for Saturday.
The annual parade will make its way down Michigan Street on Saturday, starting at noon. This year’s parade is once again sponsored by the New Carlisle Business and Community Association, with the theme , “ Times of Your Life.”
At the library, the Car and Bike Show will run from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday. Registration is free with all makes and models welcome. The event will conclude with a mini-cruise around town. For more information on the car show, contact David Freet at 574- 302-5797.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Hometown Days without the whiffleball tournament. The 10th Annual City Championship begins at 10 am on Saturday morning at the New Prairie Little League Complex. The champions will hoist the Hometown Cup at Migley Field on Sunday afternoon, when the final four teams play at 1:20 pm. Registration is only $40 for a team of four or five players, and the tournament is open to players of all ages.
More information on the City Championship can be found at www.thecitychampionship.com or by contacting Koby Keck at 574- 876-2522.
Find vendor applications for the festival, parade entry forms, and an entertainment schedule at www.hometowndays.net.
The Hometown Days committee looks forward to another great weekend and invites everyone to join them at New Carlisle’s biggest party of the year!