 The planning committee has been hard at work, filling up the weekend
with events for families and community members of all ages. Live
music, craft booths, free games for the kids and a Saturday morning
parade are all among the festivities.The kickoff will be on June
22 with the T.G.I.F. cruise-in and a mostaccioli dinner at the
Methodist Church. The homecoming stage will also be alive with
entertainment. Bluegrass music will be provided from 5 to 7 p.m.
with the Prairiegrass Pickers taking the stage. At 7:30 p.m. the
contestants for Miss Middletown, Lil' Prince and Lil' Princess will
be announced and the winners crowned. Finishing out the evening,
starting at 8 p.m., will be the local classic rock band Stuck in the
Middle.
Saturday will feature an entire day of activities. The American
Legion Auxiliary will start things off at 7 a.m. with biscuits and
gravy for breakfast. The parade, themed "A Time to Honor the Heroes
Among Us," will venture through the downtown starting at 10 a.m.,
with prizes announced following. The Knapp-Chestnut-Becker Library
will host local historian and author Paul Beaver for a book signing
of his newest publication, "The Last Farm Boy," immediately
following the parade.
The day will continue with craft booths, concessions, dunk tank
and petting zoo throughout. On the south side of the park, craft and
home-based businesses will display their wares, including Scentsy,
homemade jewelry, Some Like It Sweet, Tupperware, woodworking,
gourmet coffee, candles, shirts, warmers and much more.
Kids' events will be available during the afternoon, with the "Safehouse"
sponsored by the Middletown Fire Department at noon, games at 12:30
p.m. and the kiddie tractor pull at 2 p.m. The fire department water
fight will finish out the afternoon at 3 p.m.
Seeing Daylight
Saturday evening will feature entertainment throughout. Dick
Skelton will perform classic country favorites on the homecoming
stage starting at 4 p.m., with Seeing Daylight finishing it out at 7
p.m. The cash drawing will be between the two. Saturday evening will
then conclude with fireworks viewed at the downtown park.
Sunday will wrap up the weekend with a community church service
downtown at 9 a.m., with cake, coffee and iced tea served after.
Taking the homecoming stage
The weekend is packed with great entertainment that is sure to
please a crowd of all ages. Prairiegrass Pickers and Stuck in the
Middle both will perform Friday evening. Prairiegrass Pickers, led
by Logan County resident Bill Cosby, will offer some good
old-fashioned bluegrass during the dinner hour, with local classic
rock group Stuck in the Middle taking over to finish out the
evening.
The Saturday evening dinner hour will showcase Dick Skelton's
old-time country music, with Seeing Daylight headlining the stage.
Seeing Daylight is a modern country band from the Midwest. The band
is comprised of seasoned musicians Michael Webb, most notable as the
versatile showman from City Limits Band; guitarist Josh Hutchison
and drummer James Ryan, formerly of Saturday Nite Special; bassist
Rich Tague; and vocalist Jessi James. Though primarily a top 40
country band, Seeing Daylight also performs Southern and classic
rock, as well as their original songs (https://www.facebook.com/SeeingDaylightFans).
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Vying for the crowns
An exciting addition to the Middletown Homecoming that will be
held annually is the contest to crown Miss Middletown and Lil'
Prince and Lil' Princess. Contestants for Miss Middletown must be in
sixth through eighth grade, with Lil' Prince and Lil' Princess
contestants being from age 4 through to third grade. Contestants'
judging cans have been out in Middletown, with a penny registering a
vote. Contestants will be announced on the main stage Friday evening
and the winners crowned. In the running are Grace Skelton for Miss
Middletown; Hunter Bent, Damen Stevens, Garrett Boward and Bryan
Leonard for Lil' Prince; and Charlotte LaForge, Skylar Mignew, Chloe
Davison and Rylee Davison for Lil' Princess. All participants will
be featured in the Saturday morning parade and will get a goody bag.
Tiaras and sashes will be awarded to the winners.
Something good to eat
The weekend, with all its bustling activity, will include
something scrumptious for everyone. Friday evening the Methodist
Church will host a mostaccioli dinner, with carryout orders also
being taken and delivered on the downtown square. Groups throughout
Middletown have signed up to sell their tasty offerings Friday and
Saturday as a way to join in the festivities as well as raise some
money for their organizations. American Legion Post 672 will have
fish 'n' chips, and the Legion Auxiliary will serve barbecue
sandwiches and hot dogs. The K-C-B Library and Museum will serve
fried doughnuts, and the local 4-H group will grill up rib-eye
sandwiches.
"A Time to Honor the Heroes Among Us"
Saturday morning the parade will kick off from the NH-M school
parking lot at 10 a.m. Floats, cars, walking groups and more will be
included as Middletown comes together to honor its heroes.
Highlighted will be a float sponsored by the planning committee to
honor the military veterans from Middletown, including World War II
veterans James Graff, Kenneth Davison, Dean Noon, James Stone and
Kenneth Sampson.
Leading up to the homecoming festivities, community members can
vote for their favorite Miss Middletown, Lil' Prince and Lil'
Princess through donation cans throughout Middletown and can also
buy raffle tickets for the cash drawing.
For more information on all the planned activities, call
217-445-2835, or find out on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/
middletown.homecoming.
[Text from file received from
Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of
Logan County]
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