Lions annual Fourth of July festival underway
By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
“American Strong” is the theme for this year’s Fourth of July festival in East Troy. The East Troy Lions Club’s annual Independence Day celebration kicked off Thursday afternoon and runs until Sunday night.
The four-day festival will feature the East Troy Beer Tent with live music and Miller products throughout the weekend with performances by Bella Cain on Friday, The Toys on Saturday and Highfield Drive on Sunday.
The raffle drawings have been moved to 8 p.m. on Sunday at the beer tent because of the extended Sunday hours, which will be from noon to 11 p.m.
This year’s grand prize raffle prize is choice of a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, 2016 Chevy car, 2016 Polaris Ranger or $12,000 in cash. Second- through fifth-place prizes are $200. There are a limited amount of raffle tickets, which can be purchased at Rhode’s Towing, Gus’s Drive-In or from any East Troy Lions Club member. Raffle tickets are $10 each, three for $25, or seven for $50.
The fireworks have also been moved to Sunday night this year because of the Fourth of July falling on a Monday.
“We don’t want people to show up on Saturday night and wonder where they are,” Lion Kevin Mikes said. “There’s so much going on Saturday we thought this would be a good way to give people a chance to participate in those activities and save the fireworks for Sunday when things are beginning to wrap up.”
The annual Independence Day parade steps off at 1 p.m. on Sunday and will circle the East Troy village square featuring floats from local residents and organizations, the East Troy High School Band, Pioneer Drum Bugle Corps, Red Hot Dixieland Jazz Band, Sun Praire Marching Band, Oregon High School Marching Band and more.
The kiddie parade will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Amusement Park grandstand. The Kids are People Too show will follow the parade.
New this year is the Kiddie Tractor Pedal Pull at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the grandstand.
“It’s a Wisconsin State Sanctioned Pedal Pull,” Mikes said. “It’s free and the kids get on a pedal tractor and race fro the crowd. The winner in each class can move on to a bigger state-sanctioned pull later in the year if they want.”
Mikes said the Lions Club added the tractor pull to encourage more family involvement in the festival and was one of the steps to making the while festival more family orientated.
The club is also offering discounts on advance wristband sales for the festival’s carnival. Wristbands can be purchased for $15, and Megabands for $40 before the festival, at the gate they cost $25 and $50.
“We realize folks only have so much money so we’re offering that to help out,” Mikes said.
Discounted armbands can be purchased at Gus’s Drive-In, Citizens Bank (inside Piggly Wiggly) and Citizens Bank – East Brook Office and First Citizens Bank.
Carnival hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the festival.
Also returning this year is the car show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at East Troy Middle School. The show is staffed by the Kettle Moraine Classic Car Club.
The truck and tractor pulls at 2021 West St. will be from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and feature multiple division including Barn Yard Gas, Prostreet Gas, Prostreet Diesel, Outlaw Street Diesel, Street Diesel Tune and Chip, Altered Farm 11,000 pounds, 9500 pounds No Turbo, To Hot To Farm 12,000 pounds, Modified Tractors.
The garden tractor pulls will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the same location.
The dart tournament is set for noon on Saturday in the beer tent. There is a $10 entry fee.
The softball tournament begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
For more information, visit easttroylions.org.
