Royal City celebrates Summerfest this weekend

ROYAL CITY — Royal City’s annual celebration will take place this week.

Summerfest, traditionally held the second weekend in July, will take place this Friday and Saturday, and it promises to be fun.

“We're trying to make it a full weekend experience for everybody,” said Jon Cox, a member of the committee that makes Summerfest happen.

Most of the event will take place at Lions Park in downtown Royal City. The fun starts at 6 p.m. Friday, with a touch-a-truck for the kids and the traditional car show for the grownups. The car show has an additional category this year, Cox said: Best Mom Vehicle.

“So if you want to bring out your minivan, everyone’s welcome,” Cox said.

The FFA “Almost 5K” Fun Run begins at 7 p.m. at the park. The route runs up to Red Rock Elementary and back with volunteers and fun stations along the way, according to the event’s website. The evening will finish with fireworks at dusk.

Saturday morning, the community breakfast will get festivalgoers fed and ready to celebrate, Cox said. The breakfast has been a traditional part of Summerfest in the past, but last year it had to be shelved. It’s back on this year, Cox said.

The park will be filled with food and craft vendors, and there will be a whole slew of bouncy houses to work the wiggles out of young attendees.

The Grand Parade starts at 10 a.m. Grand marshals this year are the board of the Friends of the Royal City Library, who have worked tirelessly to get a new library built in Royal City, Cox said.

“They’ve done that really big act of service for our community, and we wanted to recognize them,” Cox said. 

“We just hope they’re not going to throw books into the crowd,” he added with a chuckle.

The Seattle Cossacks motorcycle drill team will return to provide entertainment again this year after the parade. There will also be the ping pong ball drop, in which a small plane flies over the park and drops ping pong balls that kids can redeem for prizes.

The musical entertainment starts at 6 p.m. Saturday. Local bands Paso Firme, Grupo Los 4L and Vega will perform at the park until 10 p.m.

Also taking place Saturday will be the Summerfest quilt show. 

“We have some super-talented people in our community,” Cox said. “You go look at those quilts, and it’s very impressive.” 

That will be held at New Life Church on Camelia Street next to the park, Cox said.

 “So when people need to take a break and go into an air-conditioned room, they can check out the skills of some of our local community members,” he said.

One item that was especially popular last year has been extended considerably, Cox said: mutton bustin’. The rodeo-like event in which children try to stay mounted on a sheep that doesn’t especially want them there, will take place at 6 and 8 p.m. Friday and all Saturday afternoon.

“It was so fun (last year),” Cox said. “It was standing room only. My children have been looking forward to that all year. They’re like, ‘Dad, are we going to have the mutton bustin’ again?’”

A committee of 10 people organizes Summerfest, Cox said. He chaired the committee last year but is taking more of a back-seat role this year while other committee members spearhead the effort. That way, the committee hopes to avoid the burnout that caused the previous committee to resign, which almost resulted in Summerfest not happening last year.

“They have done an awesome job planning and doing an event,” Cox said. “I've just been kind of along for the ride. Jill (Larson) and Cindy (Carter) have really taken the lead this year. They've done all the legwork trying to make the event happen.”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Klutch Olsen, 5, of Royal City goes for eight seconds on the mechanical bull at last year’s Summerfest. This year’s event offers even more fun stuff for the kids.
  

    The Seattle Cossacks motorcycle drill team awes the crowd at Royal City’s Summerfest in 2022. The Cossacks will return Saturday for this year’s festival.