Pioneer Days filled historic Marquand Park with festive fun over the weekend. The weather was perfect and the crowd made the most of it, enjoying music, food, crafts and the annual car show.
“The weekend was definitely a success,” said event coordinator Amanda Gwinn. “We had great weather and a great turnout of vendors and spectators.”
Gwinn said her favorite part is always seeing the community come together to make the weekend special and enjoy the day with friends and family.
The park was full of craft booths, two bounce houses, a petting zoo, face painting, live music, festival food and fun for the whole family.
Denny Ward could be found telling the story of Henry and Jane Sitzes’ recently restored log homestead. Just five days after Pioneer Days 2018, a fire caused extensive damage to the building and destroyed all the historical artifacts inside.
People also read…
Ward explained what it took to restore the historic cabin and how the community has begun donating new items to place inside.
Across the street, in the parking lot of the Marquand Town Hall, the annual car show had an excellent turnout. Rows of beautiful classics were lined up for all to admire. This year’s Best of Show went to Roger Hogan in his 1932 Ford Coupe.
As with most big events, everything didn’t go exactly as planned, but it all worked out in the end.
“We had an unfortunate and unexpected cancellation by our main entertainment, the Jed Melton Band, this year,” Gwinn said. “We were able to reach out and welcome Danetta Mason along with the Sykes Sisters who were able to come in to help us out at the last minute and put on an outstanding and fun performance. Not everything went as planned but it all turned out great in the final.”
Gwinn said the turnout this year was great.
“I talked to several people who had never been to Marquand, some even from other states,” Gwinn said. “We also have returning out-of-town vendors and attendees who look forward to coming and continue to join us every year.”
Like last year, community support for the event was overwhelming. The event had a long list of sponsors. One such sponsor was Num Num’s Sweetshop, which was packed with customers.
“Num Num’s Sweetshop has been a wonderful addition to our community as well as Pioneer Days,” said Gwinn. “It adds a little more variety and fun to the day and to our city.”
Gwinn said the event has so many local businesses that help support it each year and they couldn’t do it without their contributions.
Pioneer Days would like to thank all of its sponsors for their continued support. Pioneer Days 2022 sponsors include New Era Bank, Black River Electric Cooperative, Bess Insurance Agency, Marquand Tire and Repair, LLC, EZ Livin Express, SYG Transport, LLC, Aslinger Auto, Diamond K. Repair, Morris Heating and Cooling, Lee Agencies, LLC, Greg Huffman Roofing, Ryno Construction, SMTS, Marquand Development Corp., Num Num’s Sweethsop and Southern Solid Waste.
Victoria Kemper is a reporter for the Democrat News. She can be reached at vkemper@democratnewsonline.com
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
