Willshire Days festival events continue

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WILLSHIRE — Willshire Days activities began Friday with opening ceremonies and the Little Miss Willshire contest and will begin bright and early today with a number of events.

The Willshire Fire Department will be hosting a pancake, sausage, biscuit and gravy breakfast for all to enjoy, while activities in the park will begin in the afternoon.  The Willshire Days annual parade will begin at 4 p.m. today.  Following the parade, the park will again be filled with many activities, including the popular chicken barbeque sponsored by the Willshire Sportsman’s Club.

The band Ghost Train Outlaws, featuring local musician John Brodbeck, will be performing on the music stage, beginning at 5 p.m. Brodbeck has been singing and playing country music for the past few years and has become a local favorite.

The evening will be topped off with the musical entertainment of Shade and Shannon, a duo that will perform Johnny Cash tunes mixed with songs of his friends, including Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Roger Miller, Waylon and Willie, as well as more recent artists like Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Heidi Newfield (“Johnny and June”) and Gretchen Wilson.

Free pony rides, sponsored by the Willshire Legion Post 207 and the Sons of the American Legion, will again be available this evening, while a kiddie tractor pull will also be held, thanks to the Willshire Fire Department.

The park will have many activities going late this afternoon and evening. Those activities include inflatable attractions (sponsored in part by the Willshire Sportman’s Club and Countryside Church of the Nazarene), carnival games, miniature golf, Bingo, a cakewalk and other activities.  Homemade soups, sandwiches, pies, and cakes will once again be featured at the food stand, while cotton candy, elephant ears, funnel cakes, and many other delicious treats will also be available.

Other events being planned for the weekend include communitywide garage sales and a craft and flea market. Willshire Youth Activities will sponsor a wooden bat Little League tournament to run throughout the weekend.

Plan now to visit Willshire and enjoy a family friendly weekend.