Festival Days events still open for registration

Festival Days is right around the corner and Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Director Jessica Fagerbakke said many of the events are still open for more participants.

This year will be the 42nd annual Festival Days, a celebration held in Havre near the end of harvest, and is arguably the biggest local event of the year featuring a pile of events and activities including a parade, a car show, craft show, vendor markets, live music and food trucks over three days from Sept. 16 to Sept. 18.

This year’s theme is “Find Yourself in Havre,” and while most of the events are long-running events done every year, like the Steve Heil Memorial Car Show and the 48-Hour Softball Tournament, this year will see some new additions, including a one-mile fun run at Montana State University-Northern.

Fagerbakke said organization for this event is going well and while they’re always looking for more volunteers, there aren’t any major holes to fill in terms of registration for events like the parade, the Saturday Markets or the craft show, but all three still have open slots available for people interested in joining.

She said space is limited for the Saturday Market due to having limited space at Town Square where the event is held, but the craft show at the Holiday Village Mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday has lots of space.

The parade, which is more or less the centerpiece event of Festival Days beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, is similarly unrestricted, she said, with no fees to participate.

Registration for the parade closes at the end of the business day Sept. 10 and registration for the Saturday Market and craft show ends Sept. 9 at the same time.

Fagerbakke said while she’s always happy to get more registrations for these events they don’t have any major holes so the events will already have plenty of participation based on the numbers they have now.

“Our community is very supportive of all of our events,” she said, “but Festival Days is when people really show up and celebrate Havre.”

One other thing she’s hoping for high participation in is the Communitywide Cleanup Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon.

This event, where local residents are encouraged to help clean up around town in preparation for Festival Days, is an opportunity to really make Havre look good, she sad, and not just for residents but visitors.

She said while the event officially runs from 10 a.m. to noon, with a hot dog lunch at the end, people are encouraged to clean up any time they have an opportunity that day.

“This is our chance to make Havre really shine,” she said.