Special to The Prairie Press
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The annual Honeybee Festival, its sponsors and many volunteers are finalizing plans for the two-day event coming up September 27-28. The weekend consists of the parade, special meal events, food and craft vendors, different entertainment events, the golf outing, a car show as well as the fun run and the 5K race.
The “queen” pageants will be held prior to the festival on September 22 at 4:30 p.m. at the Paris Center for Fine Arts. The Junior Miss pageant is for girls in grades six-eight, and the Senior Miss pageant is for high schoolers.
The annual Honeybee Festival has many “old favorites” as well as some new opportunities. Make plans now to attend.
Friday
- 6 a.m. Annual Kiwanis Honeybee Pancake and Sausage Tent will be open on the north side of the square. All-you-can-eat pancakes, sausages and drinks will be served until 11 a.m.
- 10 a.m. Vendors for food and crafts will be available on the square until 5 p.m.
- 11 a.m. The Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing begins. Sign up on Facebook. Lunch is at 11:30 and tee time is 12:30.
- 4 p.m. The Paris Rotary Club is offering a fish fry until 7 p.m. at the Kiwanis pancake tent located on the north side of the square.In addition to food and craft vendors around the square, musical entertainment will be provided beginning at 5 p.m. at the Prospect Community Foundation Amphitheater. The Chamber of Commerce made entertainment arrangements.
- 5 p.m. Kalen Reardon will provide country music until 7 p.m. From 7:30 p.m. - Midnight, the Travis Henry Band will play. The group has been described as “one of the best classic/dance rock cover bands playing on the Indiana/Illinois border.” They perform Classic 70s and 80s rock-n-roll.
- 5 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce beer garden will be set up until Midnight at the Amphitheater.
Saturday
- 6 a.m. The Kiwanis Pancake and Sausage Tent will again be open until 11 a.m.
- 6:45 a.m. The one-mile Fun Run/Walk begins at the West Lake Park with the 5K run starting at 7:30. Meet at the West Lake at 6:00 a.m. for registration for the Fun Run/Walk and the Shawna Morrison Memorial Run. Entry fees are $10 for the Fun Run/Walk and $30 for the 5K.
Registrations cover Tee shirts for participants who registered before September 6 for the 5K Run; sizes cannot be guaranteed after the deadline. For further information, call the REC at 217-466-9622, or visit their website www.parisrec.org.
- 7:30 a.m. The Car Show will begin with check-in. Judging will be done during the parade and awards given at 12:00 p.m.
- 11 a.m. The traditional Honeybee Parade will begin and is organized by the Paris Lions Club. Contact Amy Hill at lionshoneybeeparade@gmail.com. Registration was $20 through Sept. 6 and is $25 after that date.
- 12:30 p.m. Fuzion Dance Team and Family Dance Studio will perform until 1:30 p.m. Jenni Keyser is the owner and instructor with locations in both Paris and Marshall.
- 2 p.m. Aubrey Lawson and Simon Wood will perform until 3 p.m. Beginning at 3:30 p.m. and performing until 5 p.m., and then again from 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. will be Kalen Reardon with his country music. The ever-popular group Trouble and Company will return to Paris to perform from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Closing out the evening’s entertainment will be Jordan Jackson with his “guitar pickin,’” “beer drinkin,’”, “honky tonkin’” music from 9:30 p.m. - Midnight.
- 5 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce will have their beer garden set up until Midnight next to the amphitheater.
