2018 Havre Festival Days fast approaching

The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce executive director said Wednesday she is excited about 2018 Festival Days being almost here, and with some changes that are happening with the 38th annual event.

“I want people to be aware of the changes and to get me some grand marshal nominees (for the parade,” Chamber Executive Director Jody Olson said.

One of those changes will be the route of the parade, which will once again head to Third Avenue as it had early in the history of the event, where people at the festival will find another change — vendors lined up on Third Avenue between Second and Fourth streets.

Olson said the 38th Annual Festival Days, “Roots and Branches … We Need Each Other,” will run from Friday, Sept. 21 through Sunday, Sept. 23.

Some events run in conjunction with the festival, including the Friends of the Havre-Hill County Library annual booksale that runs Thursday through Sunday. The H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum will host its final speaker for the summer, Havre historian Jim Magera, that Saturday at Havre Inn and Suites following the dedication of the Buffalo Jump Mural Park at the hotel at 6:30.

Olson said she is trying to get more and more people involved in the parade Saturday, Sept. 22, including more floats.

The parade will continue to start on Bullhook Road by Havre High School and proceed down Fifth Avenue, but where in recent years it ended on Fifth Avenue, this year it will turn west on Third Street and head to Third Avenue.

She said three awards are given out for floats including the Mayor’s Choice Award as well as the best commercial and best noncommercial floats.

Forms to register a parade entry, as well as forms for people who want to be vendors on Third Avenue or at Holiday Village Mall, are available at the Chamber office at 130 5th Avenue or online at its website at http://havrechamber.com/.

Last year, her first year running Festival Days, Olson started a new tradition — having a grand marshal for the parade. She said people can contact her with nominations.

Another new event will be a dunking booth set up during the festival. The winner of the Best of 2018 event will be announced during Festival Days at KNMC’s Rock Lotto.

In that event, people submit their vote on the best things that were listed on the Havre Area of Events website set up by the Chamber and Montana State University-Northern’s KNMC radio station.

Olson said people can turn in the paper forms voting for the Best of 2018, which were printed in the Aug. 18 edition of the Havre Daily News or vote online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2XXR3TB/.

Festival Days once again includes commemorative mugs, on sale at local merchants for $6 and giving discounted prices on draft beer during Festival Days, and Festival Days buttons, which sell for $1.

Drawings will be held to find winning numbers on the buttons each day during Festival Days week, with the grand prize two round-trip tickets from Cape Air, second place a bluetooth speaker from Triangle Communications and third prize Chamber gift certificates.

The Chamber’s Saturday Market will continue to have its final day during Festival Days.

A full calendar of events is available at the Chamber website, found by clicking on “Events Calendar” on the top right of the home page then “Events” under the “Visitors” heading on the menu at the bottom of that page, then on the “Festival Days” link.