Sanborn’s Railroad Days presents four days of celebration this week
Railroad Days 2023 is upon us, and it will look a little different this year. Sanborn’s major celebration will play out Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 20, 21, 22 and 23.
A major change will be that most of the activities will take place at Miller Park. Railroad Days also gets started a day early with a Cruise Night up and down Main Street on Thursday beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a patriotic theme.
That patriotic theme also carries over to Saturday’s parade, which starts at 10:30 a.m. The parade will travel north on Main Street, turn west onto West 4th Street and then turn south onto Prospect Street. The Grand Marshal is Fred Anema.
A Fireworks display will again be a part of Railroad Days. This year they will be shot off at Miller Park from the hill above the soccer field. The show will begin as darkness falls.
Thursday night will be Movie Night with Wonder Park being shown at the Presbyterian Church at 7:00 p.m. There will be several opportunities to fill up on some goodies along Main Street starting at 4:30 p.m. Free swimming at the Sanborn Aquatic Center is available from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday and again from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Yesterday’s Memories & Truck Museum will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday and from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Friday’s activities get started with the Antique Tractor Ride which begins at 9:00 a.m. The staging area is on Profit Street and the tractors will line up at Yesterday’s Memories. From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Sanborn Preservation Society will be welcoming the public to Carnegie Hall with beverages and hors d’oeuvres.
Friday is also the day for the Open House at Sanborn Hardware. There will be both a cook off from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and a free will supper from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Root beer floats will be served from 4:00 to 8:00.
The focus shifts to Miller Park beginning with the golf tourney at 5:30 p.m. A kids dance will take place from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. The fun also includes face painting, tattoos and body glitter along with food and beverages.
A jam-packed Saturday at Miller Park begins at 7:00 a.m. with the Masons pancake breakfast and Methodist church bake sale and continues with the Sanborn Christian School 5K run at 8:00 a.m. Beverages can be purchased from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Beginning at 10:00 a.m. food and beverages will be available from the Mi’Ono Club, and later from the Library and the Jr. Bowlers. A beer garden will be set up from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Over 25 vendors will be displaying their wares from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. with a kids vendor market to be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Antique tractors will also be on display from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The Kids’ Zone opens at 12:00 noon and will remain open until 6:00 p.m. The Zone features bouncy houses, a clown and balloons, face painting and a dunk tank.
The fun also includes a Slippery Pig Contest and a Petting Zoo, both running from noon to 3:00 p.m. The Sand Volleyball Tournament with teams pre-registered begins at 12:00 noon. The Cornhole Tournament with teams pre-registered starts at 12:30 p.m. following the noon sign-in. At 1:00 p.m. is the Kids Pedal Pull.
A number of food trucks will be in Miller Park with the first two scheduled to arrive at 1:00 p.m. Three of them will be present until 11:00 p.m. Concessions will be available near the ballparks from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Miller Park will also be filled with the sound of music coming from under the tent. Backyard Entertainment offers Branson-style family-friendly entertainment from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Then from 8:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. it’s Judd Hoos with special guest Rathco.
Chaos for a Cure will again be a part of the Railroad Days celebration with all events planned for Saturday. Registration for the 9:00 a.m. Poker Run begins at 8:00 a.m. at Yesterday’s Memories. A free will lunch will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Vander Haag’s building on Profit Street. A raffle drawing will take place there at 1:30 p.m. The Jake Brake contest is scheduled for 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. along East 1st Street. That will also be the location of the Truck and Tractor Pull from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday is a time for faith and more food. A community church service is planned for 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. under the tent at Miller Park. From 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. there will be a Latino church service and meal, also at Miller Park. The Sanborn Fire Station is the location for the Firemen’s Omelet Breakfast which will be served from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.