Frontier Days returns
It’s a ‘New Frontier’ — the 47th Annual Frontier Days Celebration is back and bigger than ever for 2022.
According to event chairman Terry Cook, the vision for Frontier Days has turned back to being a family-fun oriented event with something for everyone to enjoy.
“I’m trying to bring it back to what it was 47 years ago,” he said. “We want people to have fun.”
There will be entertainment and activities for the whole family, Cook said. The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack show returns with log rolling, underhand chopping, springboard chopping, crosscut sawing, ax throwing and a chainsaw competition.
“They’ve got three new performers coming in,” Cook said.
The Buckskinner Camp is also back this year with live demonstrations on Saturday.
Polkadot Entertainment will also have a series of shows all weekend with comedy, stilt-walking, juggling, magic and more. One show will even feature an upside down straight jacket escape while dangling 20-feet in the air.
Wristbands for admission this year will be $6 each, or $22 total for a family of four.
“We’re doing a huge raffle,” Cook said.
The raffle will include prizes like a quilt donated from Tilley’s Quilts, a $150 pair of shoes from Brown’s Shoe Fit, a weekend getaway at the Wild Rose Casino and Hotel in Jefferson and a series of gift cards. Raffle tickets are $2 each or three for $5 and can be purchased at the Fort.
One of the biggest attractions — both in size and in anticipation — Cook said is Saturday’s Raminator monster truck demonstration. A collaboration with Shimkat Motor Co. for its 75th anniversary and Frontier Days, spectators can gather in the parking lot near the parking garage on Iowa Central’s campus to see the giant Raminator drive over and crush cars. The show starts at 2 p.m.
“If we have decent weather, we’re expecting 10,000 people out there for that show,” Cook said.
Rides will be available before and after the show in a second Raminator truck.
The celebration will kick off at 5 p.m. on Friday with the opening ceremony at the Avenue of Flags on the Fort Museum grounds. Gates open at 4 p.m. Local band Cory Waller and the Wicked Things will perform outside at 8 p.m. and there will be karaoke in the Frontier Opera House from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“We’ve had so many people asking for karaoke,” Cook said.
On Saturday, Parade Marshals John and Margo Daniel will lead more than 100 entries in the Frontier Days Parade along Central Avenue. The parade will begin at 10 a.m.
“It’s probably going to be an hour-and-a-half parade again,” he said. “We’ve got usually between 6,000 and 7,000 people that come to the parade.”
The Frontier Marketplace will feature more than 30 vendors selling one-of-a-kind specialty items, decor and gifts all weekend. A series of food vendors will also be offering snacks including root beer, kettle corn, Indian tacos, funnel cakes, ice cream, cotton candy, corndogs and more.
On Sunday morning, the public is invited to a church service in the Chapel at the Fort Museum, led by Hillbilly Bob at 9:30 a.m.
Though Cook does most of the organizing of the event, he said he couldn’t make this celebration happen without the help of community sponsors. The Iowa Central Rugby team will be putting up the fencing to surround the Fort Museum grounds on Wednesday and taking it down on Sunday. Banners for the sponsors will be hung on the fence for the weekend.
Once the 2022 Frontier Days celebration wraps up on Sunday, Cook will take a few weeks off before beginning to plan the 2023 celebration.
“It’s a lot of work, but the end result is nice to be able to see the smiles on peoples’ faces,” he said.
Frontier Days Schedule
Friday, June 3, 4-11 pm • Saturday, June 4, 10 am-11 pm • Sunday, June 5, 10 am- 4pm
Friday, June 3rd
GATES OPEN AT 4PM – 11PM
STROLLING ENTERTAINMENT
PETER & PENELOPE
HILLBILLY BOB
ATTRACTIONS
CHAIN SAW ARTIST
BLACKSMITH DEMONSTRATIONS
BUCKSKINNER CAMP OPEN
GHOST GARRISON
NICK’S KIDS SHOW
KIDS GAMES
CARDIFF GIANT
FOOD VENDORS
PIONEER MARKET PLACE
BUCKSKINNER DEMONSTRATION
SELF GUIDED MUSEUM TOURS
TRADING POST OPEN
RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE
5PM OPENING CEREMONY
(Avenue of Flags)
6PM PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
7PM – 11PM
KARAOKE IN THE FRONTIER OPERA HOUSE
8PM
CORY WALLER & THE WICKED THINGS
(Outdoor Concert)
8PM PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
Saturday, June 4th
GATES OPEN AT 10AM – 11PM
FRONTIER DAYS PARADE on Central Avenue 10AM
STROLLING ENTERTAINMENT
PETER & PENELOPE
HILLBILLY BOB
SAND HILL KID & DOC VOTTA
ATTRACTIONS
CHAIN SAW ARTIST
BUCKSKINNER CAMP OPEN
GHOST GARRISON
KIDS GAMES
CARDIFF GIANT
FOOD VENDORS
PIONEER MARKET PLACE
BUCKSKINNER DEMONSTRATION
SELF GUIDED MUSEUM TOURS
TRADING POST OPEN
RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE
NICK’S KIDS SHOW
BLACKSMITH DEMONSTRATIONS
Parking Available In Iowa Central Ramp
11AM – HOLE IN THE SOCK GANG
(Cowboy Shoot ’em up on Front Street) 1PM
FIRE DEPARTMENT DISPLAYS & SMOKE HOUSE
(Trading Post Parking Lot)
1PM – SPELLING BEE (Border Plains School)
1PM, 4PM & 6PM
PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
2PM – RAMINATOR CAR CRUSH
(Iowa Central Parking Lot)
3PM – HOLE IN THE SOCK GANG
(Cowboy Shoot ’em up on Front Street)
4PM – PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
5PM – HOLE IN THE SOCK GANG
(Cowboy Shoot ’em up on Front Street)
6:30PM – PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
7PM – SECTION 7- 80’s & 90’s (Outside Concert)
8PM – 11PM – THE WHITESIDE WALLS
Rock N’ Roll Review in the Opera House
Best of the 50’s!
Sunday, June 5th
9:30 AM – CHURCH SERVICE
(With Hillbilly Bob in the Chapel)
GATES OPEN 10AM-4PM
STROLLING ENTERTAINMENT
PETER & PENELOPE
HILLBILLY BOB
SAND HILL KID & DOC VOTTA
ATTRACTIONS
CHAIN SAW ARTIST
BUCKSKINNER CAMP OPEN
GHOST GARRISON
KIDS GAMES
CARDIFF GIANT
FOOD VENDORS
PIONEER MARKET PLACE
BUCKSKINNER DEMONSTRATION
SELF GUIDED MUSEUM TOURS
TRADING POST OPEN
RAFFLE TICKETS AVAILABLE
NICK’S KIDS SHOW
BLACKSMITH DEMONSTRATIONS
12 NOON – HOLE IN THE SOCK GANG
(Cowboy Shoot ’em up on Front Street)
1PM – PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
3PM – HOLE IN THE SOCK GANG
(Cowboy Shoot ’em up on Front Street)
3PM – PAUL BUNYON LUMBERJACK SHOW
(Front of Stockade)
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