After a one-year hiatus, John C. Fremont Days is back for 2021.
The annual festival has been a mainstay for the city every summer for the past 34 years, with the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Festival board president Don Cunningham said the annual event was missed.
“I think people are just glad that we’re going to do it,” Cunningham said. “There was a decision to be made (this year) and we put it off as long as we could because it seemed like the conditions were becoming more and more amenable to us having it. There are still some risks — we recognize that — but we feel like in July … it is going to fly and people are really happy.”
The festival is scheduled for July 9-11. Cunningham believes JCF Days is one of the remaining celebrations in the state that lasts three days.
“We’re still staying three days,” he said. “We talked about this a couple of years back wondering if we should shorten it or cut it down. But Friday noon will be when we’re starting and we’ll finish with the parade in the middle of the afternoon Sunday.”
Cunningham said this year’s event will be honoring “our superheroes.”
“We’re going to do some things. We’re going to buy a bunch of capes and we’re going to sell those at the information booth for kids who want to walk around the John C. Fremont Days with capes on,” the board president said.
On a more somber note, Patriotic Productions will also honor some fallen heroes.
“They are going to come in with 33 towers — they are memorial towers — it is a mobile exhibit that is coming in,” Cunningham said. “These towers are 10 feet high and eight feet wide. They have 30 gallons of water at the base and our fire department has graciously consented to move them because that is a lot of water to move. They’re going to fill the power bases so they stand.”
On the towers will be pictures of all of the service personnel who have lost their lives since 9/11.
“That’s going to be quite an exhibit,” Cunningham said. “It’s going to be impressive and it is going to be massive. We hope we can get it in city park. We’re going to try to line the sidewalk with it so when people go through the park, they will be able to see the pictures of all those people.”
Another tribute is also planned.
“We’re also going to have an opening memorial for the Gold Star parents in the area who wish to come so that they know their loss isn’t forgotten,” Cunningham said.
Several of the festival’s traditional events will be back, including the rodeo, car show and balloonists. Cunningham’s wife and fellow board member, Nan, is in charge of the Chautauqua Tent.
“It is the first time in recent memory that she had to turn people away,” Cunningham said. “I think so many people wanted to get back up on stage and be a part of this. It’s just this feeling people have. They can’t wait to get to John C. Fremont Days.”
On Air Now
Your Favorite Music
