Seasonal fests bring life to county
Ellis County is home to numerous festivals throughout the summer months and into the fall, beginning in June and extending through October. From Riverfest to Oktoberfest, Ellis County residents can find a way to stay busy and entertained.
The first festival is the Riverfest in Ellis. Held on the second weekend of June, the event is put on by Ellis Main Street.
The 2007 event, held on June 8 and 9, was the third year for the Riverfest to be a two-day event. In 2005 session featured the 50th anniversary celebration of the Walter P. Chrysler Boyhood Home Museum.
This year's festivities featured a ribbon cutting for the Community Foundation of Ellis, a hot dog feed, open mic jam, a parade, karaoke contests for children and adults, washer tournaments, demonstrations including Civil War re-enactors, sheep shearing, RC cars, a miniature oil rig and tie dying, a talent show, a carnival and the band TripFire.
Riverfest also features food booths, vendors and a beer garden.
For more information about Riverfest, contact Ellis Main Street at (785) 726-2425 or ellismn@gbta.net.
The weekend nearest the Fourth of July is when the Wild West Fest is held in Hays at Municipal Park on south Main Street.
The 2007 event, held July 4 to 8, included concerts, food, carnival rides, baseball, fishing and soccer tournaments, 5K run/walk, karaoke, petting zoo, covered wagon rides, clowns, miniature horses, a patriotic program, a barbecue, pedal pull, awards and special events at Sternberg Museum, Ellis County Historical Society, Hays Arts Center, Hays Aquatic Park, RPM Speedway and downtown Hays businesses.
For more information about Wild West Fest, contact (785) 623-4476 or info@wildwestfestival.com. Visit the Wild West Fest Web site at www.wildwestfestival.com.
Also in July is the Ellis County Fair, held in 2007 from July 14 to 21. Activities at the fair include car, motorcycle, four-wheeler and go-cart races, a rodeo, rodeo queeen coronation, a concert featuring country music singers, Tuff Trucks, carnival, booths, and other events.
For more information about the Ellis County Fair, contact (785) 628-9410. Visit the Ellis County Fair Web site at www.elliscountyfair.com.
The Ellis Junior Free Fair is held during the final week of July, beginning on Tuesday and running through Saturday. The Free Fair features sand volleyball and horseshoe tournaments, baseball games, children's games, a free barbecue.
The Free Fair also features the Farm Olympics, where members of the local community converge for activities that include a cowchip toss and goat milking.
More information about the Ellis Free Fair can be found by calling (785) 726-3636.
The free Herzogfest is celebrating its 25th anniversary on Aug. 10 and 11. Herzogfest features live music, 5K run/walk, polka Mass, parade, talent show, fireworks and tractor and truck pull.
Herzogfest will also feature vendors and the Country Dutchmen Polka Band.
For more information on Herzogfest, visit www.herzogfest.com or e-mail webmaster@herzogfest.com.
The first of two Oktoberfests in Ellis County is the sixth annual Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest. The festival is held in September at the Ellis County Fair Grounds in Hays.
The festival features German food, beverages, songs, dancing, crafts, games and numerous demonstrations in a celebration of the area's Volga German heritage.
The 2007 event, held on Sept. 15 and 16, will feature polka music, children's games, vendors, antique motor, car, tractor and machinery displays, presentations and speakers, and miniature horse cart rides.
The schedule features the crowning of the 2007 prince and princess, traditional wedding march, wheat threshing, dance contest and a jam session with the Country Dutchman.
For more information on Midwest Deutsche Oktoberfest, visit www.midwestdeutschefest.com or contact Leo Dorzweilier, chairman, at (785) 625-5394 or dorzweiler@ruraltel.net.
On the first weekend of October, the Volga German Society puts on its Oktoberfest. This Oktoberfest is an annual celebration of the Germans from Russia heritage of Ellis County.
Oktoberfest runs on the Friday before Fort Hays State University's homecoming celebration. In the past, the festival has brought nearly 10,000 people to Frontier Park for music, food, crafts, games and a beer garden.
The Volga German Society promotes the heritage of the German immigrants with various events and programs.
For more information, contact the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce at (785) 628-8201.