Dayton fest offers something for everyone
By LAUREN DILLARD
Of the News-Register
DAYTON - The community of Dayton has had a hard time developing a signature event drawing vendors, residents and tourists in sufficient numbers to justify the effort and expense.
Its Old-Timers Festival and its Corn Feed demonstrated staying power, but never reached the regional draw level it would have liked. Last year, it tried a Garden Festival that went up against early-July competition that proved too tough.
This year, the community is going to have a go with a Sept. 8 Harvest Festival. The post-Labor Day timing of next Saturday's event ensures it will have no meaningful competition on the summer festival circuit, and organizers are hoping that will make all the difference.
"It seemed like if we did it later, we wouldn't compete with anybody," said Mayor Jolie White. Ex-mayor Jackie Brons, who headed up the organizing committee, seconded that assessment. "There are only so many resources to go around," she said.
Last year's big Garden Festival push left the community too short of willing hands to also organize a successful Corn Feed.
This year's Harvest Festival, to run from early in the morning to late at night, represents an attempt to recast both the Garden Festival and Corn Feed on a more favorable date. And the organizing team has tossed plenty of other elements into the mix as well.
The Corn Feed usually draws a crowd of about 400. Packaged with a full day's worth of events for families and individuals of all ages and interests, it should draw better this year.
"We are excited to have a bigger turnout than we've had in the last few years," White said.
In addition to a free corn feed, the Harvest Festival will feature a bounce house, dunk tank, climbing wall, hot rod races, bike rodeo, community bike ride, living history presentation, historical tours, basketball tournament and parade. It will also feature runs and walks, winetasting, winery tours, a quilt show and a wide array of vendors offering arts and crafts, food and drink, fruits and vegetables and other sundries.
That's not to mention live music from noon on, continuing all the way through the event's 10 p.m. close. The headliner will be JT & the Tourists, set to take the stage at 8 for a two-hour set.
The day is slated to open with the bike ride at 7:30 a.m.
A 5K event for walkers or runners, a more ambitious 10K event for serious runners and a mile run for kids come next. The kids run will lead off at 8:30 and the 5K and 10K will follow at 9.
Registration for the walk and run events can be completed online at www.signme up.com/57643. It runs $15 for adults and $5 for kids, since the earlybird signup deadline has passed.
The quilt show will be held at Dayton City Hall under the sponsorship of the Dayton Blockhouse Quilters. Quilts will be accepted for hanging from 1 to 4 p.m. the Friday of Sept. 7.
The parade is slated for 11:30 p.m. at Dayton Courthouse Square. It will feature a Shriners contingent, a youth bike rodeo group and the Yamhill County Mounted Posse.
Seufert Winery, located at 415 Ferry St., will be pouring wines and giving tours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Simply Irresistible Sweets will bring caramels, brittles, divinity and other candies to supplement the wine offerings.
Most activities will take place in Courthouse Square park, between Third and Fourth streets on Ferry Street.
The Boy Scouts and Dayton Roadrunners are among a number of community organizations lending a hand with the planning and execution. The organizing committee counts 20 members, and every one has an assignment.
Both individuals and businesses have made some key contributions that go beyond volunteer time as well. Bill Stockoff is donating all of the corn, for example, and Western Oregon Waste is donating trash collection and recycling services.
"When you have a community event, there's so much support out there," Brons said. Next year, she said, she's hoping the festival can be expanded to two days, opening on a Friday and continuing on a Saturday.
