Chingawassa Days is this weekend

The festival that Marion residents anticipate all year will begin Friday in Central Park, downtown Marion.

The 14th annual Chingawassa Days will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday with the Marion National Bank Community Barbecue. An ice cream social will follow at 6:30.

Traditional bluegrass music by Timber Creek will begin at 6:45 p.m. followed by comedy stage hypnotist Brad Clark at 8:30.

Activities Saturday morning will begin with a pancake feed from 7 to 10 a.m. Runners will line up to start the Rhino Run at 8.

A horseshoe-pitching tournament will be held 8 to 11 a.m. with registration at 7:30.

Local officials and business leaders are still being recruited for the celebrity tricycle races at 9:30 a.m. on Main Street.

Following the tricycle race, for the first time this year, competitors will race toilets on Main Street.

The St. Luke Hospital Dinky Duck Race will begin at 10:30 am. at the park fountain.

A bal-a-vis-x demonstration will be at 11:15 a.m. on the gazebo stage.

Register to play in the Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament at 11 a.m. Participants must have a button to play and the event is limited to the first 100 to register. The tournament will begin at noon, as will Midlands Farm Services/Scully games.

Kansas Anvil Shooters will display their accuracy at noon by launching an anvil.

The Kansas City Marching Cobras will perform at 12:30 p.m. on the main stage.

A rock/paper/scissors tournament will begin at 1:15 p.m. At 1:30, Jake Schmidt will perform gospel and country music.

A spam-carving contest will begin at 1:45 p.m.

A dodge ball competition will begin at 2 p.m. on the basketball court.

Limber fingers will compete in a texting contest at 2:15 p.m.

A watermelon feed will be at 2:30 p.m. followed by a sumo wrestling tournament at 3. Contestants will don inflated costumes and take to the ring for playful bouts.

Bingo will be available at 3:15 p.m., followed by a competition involving ice at 4.

During the day, an animal menagerie, water balloon launching, and inflatable activities will be available in the park.

The park will close at 5 p.m. in preparation for the concert, reopening at 5:15.

The evening of music will begin at 6 p.m. when the band Vegetable will perform followed by the band Rain at 7:15.

The annual chain saw art auction will be at 8 p.m.

Southern rock sensation 38 Special will take the stage at 9:15 p.m.

The community is invited to attend a community church service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at USD 408 Performing Arts Center.

Friday evening and Saturday evening events require a festival button. Saturday events require a day pass.

All-access festival buttons, which includes Saturday night’s concert with 38 Special, are $35 at the gate. A Saturday pass will be $6.