It's time to plan for Festival Days events

Participants can now preregister for the Festival Days Run/Walk, scheduled for Sept. 19. The event is open to runners and walkers of all ages.

Race day registration will start at 9 a.m., with the 5K run/walk starting at 10 a.m. and the 1-mile run/walk at 11 a.m.

All events will start and finish at the Montana State University-Northern 11th Street east parking lot.

Entry fees are $6 without a T-shirt and $14 with a long-sleeved race T-shirt. All entry fees include race refreshments and door prizes.

Prizes will be awarded to the first-, second- and

third-place male and female winners of the 5K race.

Preregistration is encouraged, and is required to receive a T-shirt prior to race day. Registration forms can be picked up at Gary & Leo's IGA, the Havre Dental Group and the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce office.

Other plans are being made as Festival Days approaches.

The Festival Days Parade

will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 18. Leading the parade will be a color guard with representatives from local military units. Several honored guests from Canada will participate in this year's parade. Also, mayors from along the Hi-Line have also been invited.

The Southern Alberta Pipe Band will make a return performance for this year's parade.

"We are excited to have them back," said Debbie Vandeberg, chamber executive director. "The parade will seem complete this year. There is something about the sound of the bag pipes folks love."

Music, floats, clowns and horse units along with

other entries will vie for the three annual awards: the Mayor's Choice, the Best Commercial and the Best Non-Commercial floats.

To enter a float in the parade, contact the chamber about filling out an entry form in advance of the parade.

All parade entries will organize in the Havre High School west parking lot, with entry at 17th Street, not at Rod's Drive-In. The parade will go north on Fifth Avenue to First Street, turn west on First Street and proceed to Second Avenue, then turn north and disassemble between the Ryan Building and the U.S. Bank parking lot.

Gary & Leo's IGA will again sponsor the Pet and Doll section of the parade to allow area kids to show off their pets and dolls. New this year will be activities organized by the Just a Dollar store for Pet and Doll participants when they exit the parade at the parking lot of Creative Leisure and Just a Dollar.

Parade participants who plan to share candy with the parade crowd are asked to provide walkers to throw candy toward the gutters and not throw candy from moving vehicles.

The Friends of the Library will again host their annual book sale during Festival Days.

The book sale will be held in the Havre-Hill County Library's meeting room on Sept. 17 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sept. 18 from noon until 5 p.m. Book lovers will find a large variety of books at the sale: fiction, nonfiction and children's books.

The Friends of the Library have been hosting this fund-raiser for library programs for more than 15 years. Money raised goes toward the library's reading program.

The Kiwanians have been flipping pancakes for the community of Havre for 50 years. The Kiwanis Pancake Day is one of the major fund-raisers for the organization, which supports community youth programs.

The pancake feed will be held on Sept. 18 at the Vets Club, at the corner of Second Street and Fourth Avenue, and run from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children 10 and under. The first 100 Canadians will pay only one tooney.

The Hi-Line Quilt Guild's fall show will again take place during Havre Festival Days Sept. 17-19. This year, the show will take place in Van Orsdel United Methodist Church on Fifth Avenue.

The hours for the show are Sept. 17 from noon to 6 p.m., Sept. 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sept. 19 from noon to 4 p.m.

The show will feature traditional bed quilts as well as wall hangings and table runners. "Spring in the Bear's Paw" is the name of the quilt to be raffled this year. It was made by Hi-Line Quilt Guild members. Tickets are available at The Crazy Quilters, from guild members or at the quilt show. Raffle tickets are selling for $3 for one or two for $5.

Show highlights include vendors, demonstrations and a display of handmade old and new quilts.