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Jasper’s annual Quartziter Days is the next summer festival on the schedule. Activities are planned from Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20. File photo
The annual Jasper Quartziter Days is scheduled for Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20.
Festivities begin Friday with the classic car cruise-in on Wall Street and a meal from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The events are sponsored by Reclaim Community. The meal, which will cost $8, will include hamburgers and hot dogs and will be at Memorial Hall. After those events, at 9 p.m. on Friday, there will be a showing of the movie “Moana 2” in the Jasper City Park. That event is sponsored by the Bauman Hall Arts Grant. In case of inclement weather, the movie will be shown at Memorial Hall.
The festivities continue Saturday morning with cinnamon rolls, coffee, juice, and a what not sale with quilts at the Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be a free vendor fair at the City Park.
At 10 a.m. there will be turtle races at the City Park. That will be followed by the kids bale toss, also at the City Park.
A bloody Mary bar is planned at the Jasper Bar beginning at 11 a.m. Quartziter Club President Lisa Petersen said Wall Street will be blocked off, so there will be outdoor seating available for the Jasper Bar and The Gathering Table.
A volleyball tournament is also planned at the City Park beginning at 11 a.m. Those interested should contact Angel Garcia at 708-768-1964.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. public input will be gathered at Bauman Hall for a sculpture planned at the Jasper City Park. The project will be funded by a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council. There will also be a free art event at Bauman Hall at which participants of all ages can paint something for themselves or a piece of a community mural. Petersen said paint-filled water balloons will be available for $1 to be thrown at a community mural project that will be outside Bauman Hall. People can also ask Reclaim Community members questions about the group’s recent leadership change and provide input about how it can better serve the community.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Jasper Museum and the All School Memorabilia Room will be open. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Jasper Historical Society will have a meal of walking tacos, a drink and dessert. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., there will be fire truck rides and from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., there will be activities in the City Park including balloon animals from CeCe’s Balloons, inflatables (a $5 wrist band is required) and concessions including pizza from the Jasper Bar and pop.
In the afternoon, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., there will be bingo in the meeting room at Memorial Hall. The cost is 50 cents per game.
From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., there will be a community meal on Wall Street sponsored by the Gathering Table. There will be indoor and outdoor seating. The meal will include pork loin and the cost will be $5, with ages 6 and under free. Ice cream sundaes will be provided by the Progress Study Club for a freewill donation.
The parade is scheduled for 7 p.m. Those interested in participating can contact Petersen at 507-215-7705. The parade will go from the top of the hill and down Wall Street to Sherman Avenue.
After the parade there will be an adult bale toss and a new event called Chuck a Duck on Wall Street. Petersen said the Chuck a Duck contest involves a quartziter painted on the street in front of the Memorabilia Room. Whoever can throw a rubber duck closest to the target on the quartizter’s mallet wins. One duck costs $5 and five ducks cost $20. The winner gets $200.
“We’re just trying something different,” Petersen said. “That is a new event.”
The street dance will be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., with the 280 Fifth Band, of Sioux Falls. Petersen said the band plays a variety of music. Food will be available from food trucks, including Taqueria El Tarasco and the Lunch Shack.
Also at 9 p.m. is a showing of the movie “Minecraft” at the City Park, sponsored again by the Bauman Hall Arts Grant. Like the Friday night movie, the alternative location in case of inclement weather will be Memorial Hall.
The festivities wind down Sunday with a community church service at the City Park at 9:30 a.m. with a message from Pastor Mark Jamison. Those who attend should bring lawn chairs. The alternative location in case of inclement weather is at Memorial Hall. There will be a freewill offering during the service that will be used for perpetual care of the Servicemen’s Memorial at the Jasper City Cemetery.
Petersen said volunteers are needed to help with Quartziter Days and that anyone interested can contact her. She expressed her thanks to all the sponsors who support Quartziter Days activities and invites everyone to come see what Jasper has to offer.
“It’s fun to have lots of visitors,” she said.