The end of August usually means back-to-school, with one last wave of heat before the end of summer. For the residents of Sellersburg, it’s time to celebrate.
For its 20th year, the town will host the Sellersburg Celebrates! festival — originally developed as a centennial celebration honoring the town’s founding — beginning Thursday and running through Saturday.
The annual event will include family games, contests, craft booths, food booths, shows, demonstrations and live entertainment to be hosted at Silver Creek Township Park.
Each year, the festival has a theme, and this year’s idea — building bridges — comes from the proposals and discussions ongoing involving the Ohio River Bridges project.
The board for Sellersburg Celebrates! took it a step further, having the theme also represent building connections throughout the community, to friends and neighbors, said Sandy Nunn, a past president of the festival
The current president of Sellersburg Celebrates!, Terry Purlee, expects that outreach to bring about 18,000 to 20,000 people to attend the festivities this weekend.
The entertainment and special events scheduled couldn’t hurt in drawing a crowd either.
Nearly 400 tickets have already been sold for one of the highlighted events, a community luncheon featuring Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean as a guest speaker at 11:30 a.m. Friday at Nolan Fieldhouse, according to Brian Meyer, president of the Sellersburg Town Council. Several former Hoosier stars with local ties, such as Chuck Franz, Pat Graham and Steve Green also are expected to be on hand, Purlee said.
Another one of the premier events scheduled is the Saturday morning parade, starting at 10 a.m., at Haas Cabinet Co. and ending in Township Park.
In addition to the entertainment scheduled for the residents of Sellersburg, the celebration is an important promotional vehicle.
“It gives us that one time of the year to bring people in from outside the community,” Meyer said.
Exposure to people outside of the town of Sellersburg is important because it allows visitors to see the businesses, amenities and experience the local community. Plus, any money raised during the festival is used for community projects, Purlee said.
The funding for the festival became an important factor this year in order to continue the tradition.
“From where we started at the beginning of the year, I couldn’t be more appreciative to our sponsors,” Purlee said.
While he said the national economy was a hurdle to overcome in funding the festival, no events have been cut and the scope of the event is on par with where it has been in past years.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
THURSDAY
• 6 p.m. — Games tent opens; Sellersburg Idol competition.
FRIDAY
• 11:30 a.m. — Community luncheon featuring Tom Crean, Nolan Fieldhouse
• 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Model train show, Sellersburg Moose Lodge
• 5:30 p.m. — Games tent opens
• 6 p.m. — Tethered balloon rides; $5
• 8 p.m. — The Rumors
• 9 p.m. — Balloon glow
SATURDAY
• 7 to 10 a.m. — Kiwanis pancake and sausage breakfast, next to Sellersburg Police Department; donations accepted
• 10 a.m. — Parade begins at Haas Cabinet Co., 625 Utica St.; ends at Silver Creek Township Park; awards announced at noon
• 10 a.m. — Bake-off at Jackson Physical Therapy
• 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Model train show, Sellersburg Moose Lodge
• Noon to 1 p.m. — Silver Creek High School Band
• 1 p.m. — Games tent opens
• 1 to 2 p.m. — SIGS gymnastics
• 5:30 p.m. — K-9 demonstration at the baseball field
• 6 p.m. — Robbie Davidson band
• 8 p.m. — Monarchs
— Contributed
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