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Grain Valley, MO —
Tonight is for families, as Grain Valley Fair Days kicks off three days of celebration.
“I think it brings us together as a community,” said Jen Morgan, executive director of the Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the free annual festival.
For the third consecutive year, family night begins the event held at the pavilion behind the Grain Valley Community Center on Main Street a few blocks south of Interstate 70.
Tonight’s events are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with Christian bands – True Blue Gospel Band, Waiting Here, Maywood, Crossroads worship band – taking the stage from 6:30 to 8:30. The Burger Barn will be open. Also, hot dogs, chips and soft drinks will be $1.
“So you could get a meal for three bucks,” Morgan said.
A main feature of the evening is Kids Street, with face painting, an exotic animal petting zoo, hourly puppet shows, and even spiders and snakes from Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. The Greater Kansas City Dog Training Club will have demonstrations in an agility run. The Pilot Club of Blue Springs has two booths – the puppets and BrainMinders, which stresses the importance of wearing a helmet while riding a bike or skateboarding.
“So Kids Street is really full,” said Morgan, adding that all of those events are free.
It’s also the first of three days of carnival rides offered by Jones Carnivals.
“They always bring new rides,” Morgan said. “It’s not the same old carnival.”
There’s a Fair Days-related fundraiser over the lunch hour Friday. The Burger Barn (next to the beer garden) will make hamburgers to be delivered by the chamber, Faith United Methodist Church and Crossroads Church. Deliveries go to Grain Valley, Oak Grove, Blue Springs and Odessa, anywhere within 10 or 15 miles, Morgan said.
“We sell quite a few,” Morgan said. Call the chamber at 816-847-2627 for more information.
Rain is expected tonight and Friday, but unless there is lightning, plans are for the show to go on.
Events pick up again at 4 p.m. Friday when vendors with food and crafts open up.
The big name taking the stage that evening is recording artist Matt Snook, highlighting eight hours of country/rock.
Saturday brings one of the community’s annual highlights, the parade. It starts at 10 a.m. at the high school, goes north on Main Street, east on Walnut and south on Kirby back to the high school.
Tonight is for families, as Grain Valley Fair Days kicks off three days of celebration.
“I think it brings us together as a community,” said Jen Morgan, executive director of the Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the free annual festival.
For the third consecutive year, family night begins the event held at the pavilion behind the Grain Valley Community Center on Main Street a few blocks south of Interstate 70.
Tonight’s events are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with Christian bands – True Blue Gospel Band, Waiting Here, Maywood, Crossroads worship band – taking the stage from 6:30 to 8:30. The Burger Barn will be open. Also, hot dogs, chips and soft drinks will be $1.
“So you could get a meal for three bucks,” Morgan said.
A main feature of the evening is Kids Street, with face painting, an exotic animal petting zoo, hourly puppet shows, and even spiders and snakes from Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. The Greater Kansas City Dog Training Club will have demonstrations in an agility run. The Pilot Club of Blue Springs has two booths – the puppets and BrainMinders, which stresses the importance of wearing a helmet while riding a bike or skateboarding.
“So Kids Street is really full,” said Morgan, adding that all of those events are free.
It’s also the first of three days of carnival rides offered by Jones Carnivals.
“They always bring new rides,” Morgan said. “It’s not the same old carnival.”
There’s a Fair Days-related fundraiser over the lunch hour Friday. The Burger Barn (next to the beer garden) will make hamburgers to be delivered by the chamber, Faith United Methodist Church and Crossroads Church. Deliveries go to Grain Valley, Oak Grove, Blue Springs and Odessa, anywhere within 10 or 15 miles, Morgan said.
“We sell quite a few,” Morgan said. Call the chamber at 816-847-2627 for more information.
Rain is expected tonight and Friday, but unless there is lightning, plans are for the show to go on.
Events pick up again at 4 p.m. Friday when vendors with food and crafts open up.
The big name taking the stage that evening is recording artist Matt Snook, highlighting eight hours of country/rock.
Saturday brings one of the community’s annual highlights, the parade. It starts at 10 a.m. at the high school, goes north on Main Street, east on Walnut and south on Kirby back to the high school.
“It usually is about two hours,” Morgan said.
There are about 30 entries, with a “Viva Las Vegas” theme. Organizers hope for Elvis sightings. The king and queen are Bill and Mary Gabriel of Grain Valley, who have been married for 60 years. Two elementary school students – Megan Davies and Curtis Vanderlinden Jr. – are the princess and prince.
The parade’s grand marshal is Jeff Coleman, Chamber of Commerce board chairman and Grain Valley Board of Education member. The last entry in the parade is Santa Claus (who usually makes a chamber-sponsored public appearance in Grain Valley in December, on the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express – but not this year, as the express is going elsewhere).
Vendors at the pavilion will open between 11 a.m. and noon for Saturday’s activities.
Trampled Under Foot highlights Saturday’s performances.
“They’re a huge, huge band,” Morgan said.
Each year, she said, the chamber tries to make upgrades to the festival. This year, for example, the beer garden is fenced off, and after 6 p.m. only those 21 and older will be allowed in. The beer garden sells beer, wine coolers and – new this year – margaritas.
