Kingsburg Swedish Festival takes over this South San Joaquin Valley town, May 16, 17 & 18. It concludes a year of Centennial celebrations for Kingsburg.
Festivities get under way Friday with the Smörgåsbord Dinner at 5:30 p.m. in Coffee Pot Park, downtown. Tickets are $10 per person. At 6 p.m. a new Swedish Festival Queen will be crowned as a part of the Swedish cultural offerings. A review of the Kingsburg Police is at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday offers the Dala Horse Trot, 10k and 2-mile races sponsored by the Kingsburg Junior Women. That's at 7 a.m., which is the same time the Kingsburg Lion's Club Swedish Pancake Breakfast gets under way in Coffee Pot Park. Tickets are $6 per person.
The Grand Parade will move down Draper Street on Saturday, kicking off at 10:30 a.m. The parade will be complete with bands and a variety of riding, walking, and marching entries, including several couples celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries this year. Arts, crafts, food, and information booths will line Draper Street from Lincoln Street area to California Avenue area.
Following the parade there will be maypole dancing in the middle of Draper Street, Swedish folk dancing, rides to the Historical Park where there will be exhibitions, Sacred Concert from 2-4 p.m. at the Kingsburg Community Church, and other cultural activities.
Sunday afternoon of the Festival there will be birthday cake provided to everyone, courtesy of the churches of Kingsburg. Then a new event, Viking Bed Races, will be held as a feature of the Centennial and hopefully a permanent addition to the Festival.
Anyone desiring more information should contact the sponsoring Kingsburg District Chamber of Commerce at 1475 Draper St., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call (559) 897-1111.
This article was submitted by Jess Chambers, Executive Director of SCA Affiliate Kingsburg Chamber of Commerce, and edited by Kerstin Trowbridge.
April 2008
