Oconto Falls will be bustling this weekend, with the city’s annual Memorial Day weekend celebration.
Hosted by the Panther Pride Association at Memorial Field, the celebration is a fundraiser for the organization devoted to improving outdoor athletic facilities for Oconto Falls students.
Panther Pride spearheaded a fundraising drive and assisted with the development of softball fields at the high school before helping to secure the passage of referendum to pay for a new football stadium and track at the school.
This year’s profits from the Memorial Day celebration will be used to revamp Memorial Field, organizer Chad Trudell said. The goal is to develop more baseball fields, parking lots and green space at Memorial Field, once the football field and track are no longer needed by the school district. He said Panther Pride is developing plans for Memorial Field, which will be presented to the city.
Renovations might start as early as fall 2015 or in 2016, depending on funding and “if we can get cooperation from the city, basically. We need to go through them,” Trudell said.
The Memorial Day weekend celebration begins Friday night with carnival rides provided by Christman Amusement. Ride specials are Buck a Ride from 6-10 p.m. Friday and Wristband Days from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Panther Pride receives 100 percent of the proceeds from the advanced wristband sales, so Trudell encouraged families to buy wristbands for the kids this week. The $14 wristbands are on sale at Oconto Falls Elementary School, Witt’s Piggly Wiggly, Mercier’s Fast Stop, Antique Bar, United True Value, BP gas station and The Penguin Again.
For the adults, a modified softball tournament will start Friday and continue Saturday and Sunday.
Fireworks are scheduled at dusk Saturday, with Sunday as the rain date. Individuals are invited to bring a lawn chair to Memorial Field to view the show.
Sunday’s feature is a bean bag tournament at 4 p.m. for two-person teams.
Several events are planned for Memorial Day, including a car show and parade which will take a new route this year. The parade will start at Oconto Falls Elementary School and end at Memorial Field.
At the pingpong drop after the parade, children can compete to win bikes and other prizes.
Community organizations, such as the Lions Club and Oconto Falls FFA, will sell food and refreshments all weekend.
“The Lions Club does a good job every year with all the food it sells,” Trudell said. “I know it’s one of their biggest fundraisers.”
The Oconto Falls Lioness will add more color to the patriotic red, white and blue of the annual celebration with its Dash O.F. Color 5K walk/run on Saturday morning. Participants will be doused with powdered paint at four stations on the route.
Stephanie Holman, president of the Lioness, said the club was looking for a new and fun way to raise money for the causes it supports, such as Leader Dogs for the Blind, Eagle Scout projects, scholarships for graduating seniors and Kingdom Come food pantry. As of May 11, 150 people had registered for the event.
“We’ve heard nothing but good things, and there’s a lot of excitement,” Holman said.
The event begins with registration and packet pickup from 7-9 a.m. Saturday at the Memorial Field parking lot on Caldwell Avenue and Monroe Street, with the run/walk starting at 9 a.m. Registration forms are available at www.dashOFcolor.eventbrite.com.
