Festival Days theme announced: 'Small Town USA'

The Havre Area Chamber of Commerce announced the theme for this year’s Festival Days celebration, set for Sept. 20-23, as “Small Town USA,” and is looking for help finding the leader of the parade Sept. 21.

“We are seeking nominations for Grand Marshal of the parade; contact the Chamber with your vote,” a release about Festival Days said.

The release said if a club or organization is planning an event during the Festival Days weekend and want it listed on the event flyer, representatives should contact the Chamber because it soon will finalize the flyer and poster for the event.

This is the 39th annual Havre Festival Days, which was a revival, by a group of Havre business people and residents of a music festival that celebrated the community.

Havre had held a May music festival from the 1930s through the 1960s, which was highly acclaimed and brought hundreds or more to towns to listen to the performances of regional bands.

The inaugural May Festival in 1931, organized by the Havre Band and Orchestra Association, brought city, high school and grade school bands from the region to perform in Havre.

The event became an international celebration, with Canadian bands sometimes attending.

That festival died off in the mid- to late-1960s, and Havre community members decided about 1980 to try to bring back a festival that drew the community together. They decided to hold the new festival in the fall, more as a celebration of harvest and the end of summer.

The event has grown and evolved over the decades, and continues to change with new events being added.

The week starts with the Friends of the Library Book Sale at the Havre Hill County Library, which runs the week of Festival Days. The book sale starts on DAY, Sept. DATE

Friday, Sept. 20, the main Festival Days events get underway including the 48-hour softball tournament and the Steve Heil Memorial Car Show.

Events continue Saturday, Sept. 21, starting with the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and the final Saturday Market of the year at the Town Square.

The parade, perhaps the biggest event of Festival Days, runs down Fifth Avenue Saturday morning.

Events continue throughout the day, including the opening of the Festival of Crafts and Commercial Product Show, both at the Holiday Village Mall and in downtown Havre, KNMC Rock Lotto at the Town Square and Beta holding a street dance.

Sunday, Sept. 22. wraps up Festival Days weekend including the final games of the 48 hour softball tournament, the Run of Special Trains, the Craft Show, Library Book Sale and the Festival Run/Walk.

For more information and to nominate a grand marshal or notify the Chamber of events, people can contact the Chamber office at 130 Fifth Ave. by calling 265-4383 or using the “contact us” form at the chamber website at http://havrechamber.com/contact/.