Dallas Center Fall Festival set to return Aug. 25-26
Dallas Center’s annual festival returns Friday and Saturday with a Feelin’ Groovy in DC theme.
Lezlie Ellerman, who helps organize the festival with DC Celebrations, said this year’s event will feature a Feelin’ Groovy Polaroid Photobooth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in Mound Park. Board & Batten will also be getting into the theme with live 70s music performed by Paul Little from 7-9 p.m. Saturday night. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best groovy outfit to be entered in a costume contest.
The festivities will kick off on Friday night in Mound Park with a DJ, lawn games, Toby the Balloon Dude, Sparkle Hula Hoop Dance Party and more. Free hot dogs will be provided by Raccoon Valley Bank, followed by the Ohana Pedal Power Tractor Pull.
The Scott Amusements Carnival will open at 5 p.m. on Walnut Street. Ellerman encourages community members to purchase pre-sale tickets as all proceeds before 5 p.m. on Friday will go directly toward off-setting the cost of the carnival. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at Sugar Grove Goods, Kids Korner, Medicap, Raccoon Valley Bank, The Baker's Pantry and the library.
Saturday’s festivities will kick off with the Rotary Pancake Breakfast at 7 a.m., followed by 5k, 1k road races and a tot trot.
The Leonard Moss Memorial Parade will head down Walnut Street at 10 a.m. No registration is required and the parade will start lining up at 9:30 a.m. on Kellogg near the skate park.
A variety of activities will follow the parade, including a car, truck and motorcycle show, sand volleyball and bags tournaments, kids games, an ice cream social, pie eating contest sponsored by The Baker’s Pantry and more.
The popular Cow Pie Bingo returns at 3 p.m.
“It’s a pretty unique thing that’s been going on for years and years. It’s a great fundraiser and a great conversation piece,” Ellerman said as proceeds go back to the Fall Festival committee.
New activities for this year’s event include a pickleball tournament, sightseeing bus tour and horse/open basketball at the new basketball court in Mound Park on Saturday.
Entry fees for the pickleball tournament are $25/team with proceeds going to the Dallas Center Food Pantry.
Ellerman said the sightseeing bus tour will feature what’s new in Dallas Center since 2018, which was the last time the festival featured a bus tour during the sesquicentennial.
“We’ve gotten a lot of grants and done a lot of improvements, including our pool and a lot of work up at the Burnett Complex,” she added. “We’re going to do a bus tour of showing everyone around Dallas Center to see some of the new things that have happened.”
Ellerman said attendees can enjoy adult beverages from Sugar Grove Goods and Board & Batten in the city’s new pocket park. Picnic tables were recently added to Century Farms Park, located next to Board & Batten. The mini beer garden will then extend near Board & Batten and in front of Sugar Grove Goods.
The evening will wrap up with live music, a free-will donation dinner, pie auction and fireworks.
The pie auction is the biggest fundraiser for DC Celebrations, Ellerman said, with proceeds from the event being split with the fire department. This year, winners from Friday's Ugly Cake Contest will be auctioned off during the pie auction Saturday evening.
"We need bakers and buyers," she added.
For more information, including a full schedule of events, registration forms and event flyers, visit the Dallas Center Celebrations website and DC Celebrations, Dallas Center, Iowa Facebook page.
Ellerman encourages area residents to come check out all of the activities on Friday and Saturday in Dallas Center.
“We love our Fall Festival and we love to share it with surrounding communities,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Dallas Center Fall Festival set to return August 25-26
