Sugarbeet Festival ‘going to be huge’

Sugarbeet Festival 'going to be huge'

Zach White

With a more favorable weather forecast than Havre Festival Days, Chinook is expecting hundreds of people for this weekend's sixth Annual Sugarbeet Festival.

The festival starts Friday afternoon with vendors setting up on Main Street, and ends 7 p.m. Saturday with Cold Hard Cash, a Johnny Cash tribute act in the Chinook High School gymnasium.

The highlight of the festival is the parade down Indiana Avenue at 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Chinook Chamber of Commerce Secretary Heather DePriest.

"The parade this year will be very exciting. We've got some unique floats," DePriest said. "One is an air-boat."

Bonnie Weber, an organizer of the parade, said 15 floats had registered so far, but the parade would probably end up with nearly triple that number, considering people that will just show up for the 3:15 p.m. line-up at Meadowlark School.

The festival chooses an industry to promote, like sugarbeets or cattle. This year's industry is local business.

DePriest said that local businesses were chosen because they are so important to the town.

Other popular events on Saturday include a fun run at 10 a.m, the Sugarbeet Growing Contest Judging at 11 a.m. and a Sugarbeeter business race at noon.

"It's going to be huge," DePriest said.

More information about the Sugarbeet Festival can be found at http://www.chinookmontana.com/Sugarbeet_Festival.html.

With a more favorable weather forecast than Havre Festival Days, Chinook is expecting hundreds of people for this weekend's sixth Annual Sugarbeet Festival.

The festival starts Friday afternoon with vendors setting up on Main Street, and ends 7 p.m. Saturday with Cold Hard Cash, a Johnny Cash tribute act in the Chinook High School gymnasium.

The highlight of the festival is the parade down Indiana Avenue at 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Chinook Chamber of Commerce Secretary Heather DePriest.

"The parade this year will be very exciting. We've got some unique floats," DePriest said. "One is an air-boat."

Bonnie Weber, an organizer of the parade, said 15 floats had registered so far, but the parade would probably end up with nearly triple that number, considering people that will just show up for the 3:15 p.m. line-up at Meadowlark School.

The festival chooses an industry to promote, like sugarbeets or cattle. This year's industry is local business.

DePriest said that local businesses were chosen because they are so important to the town.

Other popular events on Saturday include a fun run at 10 a.m, the Sugarbeet Growing Contest Judging at 11 a.m. and a Sugarbeeter business race at noon.

"It's going to be huge," DePriest said.

More information about the Sugarbeet Festival can be found at http://www.chinookmontana.com/Sugarbeet_Festival.html.