White Pigeon Days to include parade, fireworks and community picnic
Despite a skeleton crew of organizers, White Pigeon Days 2022 is set to get underway this weekend.
Bekah Carr, who is in her seventh year as a primary organizer of the festival, said the experience was helpful when attempting to put together enough activities for this year’s three-day community celebration.
“Well, the committee consists of me and Kati Thomas, and thankfully she has previous experience doing this,” Carr said. “So, we have vendors who we just call and ask about whether they’re going to return … everything just kind of falls into place, really.”
Carr said there was a brief thought about dropping White Pigeon Days to a Saturday-only event. The two went over the list of events and activities, however, and realized keeping the Friday component was too important to eliminate.
As in the past, Friday’s showcase event is the parade, Saturday’s is fireworks, and the lone event Sunday is a community worship service and picnic.
Carr said response to the parade has been strong. The 2022 festival will maintain its reputation as the parade featuring the most fire trucks.
Friday highlights include opening of the midway on South Kalamazoo Street at 3 p.m.; pie, cake, ice cream and hot dogs starting at 5 p.m.; the parade at 7 p.m.; and a pie-in-the-face fundraiser to benefit the fireworks fund at 8:45 p.m. Village, school and other local officials will be recipients of the whipped-cream pies.
Carr said recognition of White Pigeon’s Citizens of the Year, Doris and Elmer Rudloff, takes place at 4:45 p.m.. Carr said the Rudloffs are the epitome of community stewards. She said they volunteer their time cleaning the parks, working at the food pantry and are behind numerous other benevolent gestures.
“Two very kind people who deserve the acknowledgment,” Carr said.
New events this year include garden-tractor pulls from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on South Kalamazoo Street. Also, Carr is proceeding with a baking contest. She explained the details.
“Anyone, any age, any level of experience is welcome to enter. It has to be a bakery items, so that would include cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, pastries, muffins, whatever else someone can think of as long as it’s considered a bakery-ish item,” Carr said. “The item has to be dropped off to us by noon Saturday. There will be different categories, including taste, appearance, creativity and a few others. Just trying out something new and see if it’s something we should do again next year or not.”
Though not new, the annual K-9 demonstration will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday at Wade Park, not outside the police station.
Other Saturday highlights: old-car show starts at 8 a.m.; Home Depot Kids Crafts project area 10-11 a.m.; inflatables; kids pedal-pull competition at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.; Home Depot Kids Crafts at 6:30 p.m.; and fireworks at dusk.
There will also be a general raffle, a meat raffle, a 50/50 raffle and a cutest pet contest.
Sunday’s worship service starts at 11 a.m. at Wade Park.
More information about White Pigeon Days can be found on the Facebook page for White Pigeon Community Association.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: White Pigeon Days to include parade, fireworks and community picnic
