The Yellowstone Trail Festival will take place this weekend, Saturday and Sunday August 16th and 17th, with multiple activities happening on each day.
The Yellowstone Trail Festival is an annual festival that commemorates United States’ first National Park and the reason for the first trans-continental road to come through our area.
The festival is at the Starke County Fairgrounds in Hamlet, and admission is free.
On Saturday August 16th, the all-day activities include meet and greets with Yogi Bear, Boo Boo & Cindi, as well as Park Rangers; a photo op to Yellowstone National Park, an escape room, the Ol’ Faithful Express, the hourly Ol’ Faithful Geyser, as well as food trucks and vendors.
Beginning at 9am will be registration for the car show.
A Donut eating contest will take place at 9:30am, with a coloring contest at the commercial building at 10:30. Bringing your own pencils is encouraged.
There will be a Dinosaur interactive show at the Farm Bureau Patio at 11:30am, as well as a Men’s Hammer Toss at the horse arena at noon. Women’s skillet toss will take place at 12:30, and a potato race at 1pm.
From 2-4pm the Starke County Historical Society will host their annual “If Tombstones Could Talk” Cemetery walk through Fletcher Cemetery on the Yellowstone Trail. Reenactors will share information on former citizens – pioneers, veterans, and other townspeople who rest at the Fletcher Cemetery.
At 2pm Manifold Cooking contest winners will be announced and Car show trophies will be awarded.
The Antique Tractor Pull takes place at 3pm, and Party Bingo will take place in the commercial building from 5-7pm. There will be an interactive dinosaur show at Midway Pavilion at 5pm as well as a scavenger hunt to take place at 6pm. There will be a fireworks show at dusk.
WKVI will report Sunday’s activities as the week continues.
