By Jason Chaney
If you are looking for something to do over the Fourth of July weekend, Prineville is the place to be.
According to Brandi Hereford, Executive Director of the Crook County Chamber of Commerce, there is "literally a whole day of events" planned for Independence Day.
The day will start out with the Splash & Dash. This is a fun event for those who are `fit or almost fit' according to Ernie Brooks, head CCHS Track and Field coach and one of the organizers for this event. While it is a race and competitors are competing for the best team or individual time, it is also a laid-back event where people are encouraged to just have fun.
This race, which combines swimming, biking, kayaking, and running, is a fundraiser for both the CCHS Track and Field and CCHS Cross Country programs. This is the third year Ernie Brooks and Tracy Smith, the head Cross Country coach, have teamed up with Larry Smith to put on this event. Smith began the fun event years ago, and offered for it to become a fundraiser for the two sports in exchange for some help in coordinating it.
"It's starting to build itself up," stated Brooks. Last year they had approximately 30 teams and this year they would like to fill all 42 starting times with either teams or individuals. "Get the family and friends together and have some fun in the morning," encouraged Brooks.
They are accepting entries clear up to the starting time of the event.
About the time that most of the participants will be completing the Splash N' Dash, Ochoco Creek Park will be opening to the public featuring vendors, food, games and fun for the whole family.
The theme of this year's celebration is "Old Fashioned Family Fun". Crook County's own NJROTC will be presenting colors and the National Anthem, which will be the start of the segment of the day that the Chamber is organizing.
Hereford is very excited about the entertainment for the day.
"We are thrilled to have top-notch entertainment all day, including Willy's Washboard Jamboree, which has never performed in Prineville before." Apparently, Washboard Willy does not come to the east side of the mountain very often due to the fact that they usually only book events of a large nature like the Orange County Fair in California.
There will also be local music groups such as The Substitutes, The Saggy Bottom Boys, and the Bunkhouse Orchestra. Hereford said more entertainment will be found with the performances of the High Desert Dance Arts, Miss Crook County and Miss Prineville.
While all this entertainment is happening on the stage, there will also be about 60-70 vendors there offering arts, crafts, jewelry, games, and retail items for sale. Attendees will also find local non-profit agencies there to promote their organization and help recruit some new volunteers, while giving more information about what their organization does for our community.
Beginning at 11 a.m., there will be a barbecue lunch featuring barbecue cheeseburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, chips, and a drink for only $5.00 per person.
"Our goal has been to provide an enjoyable event which is affordable for all families. This objective is even more prominent this year as we have added new contests, games, and vendors," Hereford said.
Two of the new games are the hula hoop contest and the horseshoe toss. Along with these two games and a couple others, the winners of each will go away with cash prizes. Another popular area with children is the large area specifically for kids that will offer old fashioned races, games, fun carnival-style events and a lot of opportunities to win toys.
"We were able to get enough sponsorship to offer this event and thanks to the generosity of those sponsors we are able to offer a free, family-friendly event," Hereford said.
As everything winds down in Ochoco Creek Park, organizers of SonFest hope that the crowds will move over to Pioneer Park for more family fun. SonFest is "the largest Christian music festival in Central Oregon," according to Chad Carpenter, the organizer for this year's event.
Due to scheduling difficulties, the organizers of SonFest decided to move the event to coordinate with the Chamber of Commerce's all-day Fourth of July events. This is the 5th year that Calvary Chapel has sponsored this free event for the community.
This year there will be concerts featuring Among Seven, which is a local band, and Eastgate, which is a band from Boise, Ida. According to Carpenter, each group has an acoustic sound and is sure to have a broad appeal to all ages.
Along with the free music and entertainment, there will also be a few opportunities for food. They will be offering food concessions along the lines of hamburgers and hot dogs.
Carpenter expects SonFest to wind down in time for everyone to begin the move towards the west end of town where there will be a firework display. The fireworks will be the final planned event for the day.
The firework display has been once again sponsored by Prineville Disposal, Crestview Cable, the City of Prineville, Crook County, and Crook County Parks and Recreation.
One more event for the weekend will be a church service on Sunday morning that is open to all and is the final event of SonFest. This service will also be in Pioneer Park. |
