Live music, including the 1950s tunes of Richie Lee and the bluegrass sounds of Mabel’s Porch, will also be part of Frontier Days.

And all the traditional favorites, such as the buckskinner’s camp, the Civil War reenactors and that long parade through downtown Fort Dodge will all be returning.

“We just want people to come out, have fun and appreciate our history,” said Jeana Becker, who leads the committee which organizes Frontier Days.

The gates at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village will open at 4 p.m. Friday. The events will continue through Sunday.

-Messenger file photo
Cyndi Lou Simpson, then 7, of Fort Dodge, dances in the street during the Frontier Days Parade last year.

Special wristbands will be required for admission to the Fort Museum grounds.

Those wristbands will cost $10 for those 12 and older. They will cost $5 for anyone between the ages of 2 and 11. Those ages 2 and under will be admitted free.

Becker said that in addition to all the traditional Frontier Days features, this year’s event will feature “a lot of trick stuff.”

That includes the fast draw, gun twirling and whip-cracking performances of Pistol Packin’ Paula, a stuntwoman who got her start on “America’s Got Talent.”

It also includes Dangerous Feats of Comedy, whose performances include breaking out of a straitjacket, breathing fire and juggling fire.

-Messenger file photo
Live music, including the 1950s tunes of Richie Lee and the bluegrass sounds of Mabel’s Porch, will be part of Frontier Days this year.

Another trick and stunt act called The Flying Debris Show features, among other things, a man spinning a bowling ball on his finger just like a member of the Harlem Globetrotters spins a basketball on the finger.

An entertainer who goes by Rondini will conduct a magic and weird science show.

All of those acts will perform repeatedly through the weekend.

For kids, there will be a giant foam party within the walls of the stockade on the fort grounds.

The car show, a relatively new addition to Frontier Days, will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The music lineup includes the Humboldt-based band Dirty $ Bills, Red Dirt Renegade, Richie Lee, On Maryland, Barbara Francisco, Midnight Radio and Mabel’s Porch.

Bingo games and a farmers market are also being added to Frontier Days this year.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday. It will follow the same route as last year, heading east on First Avenue North, going south on 11th Street and then west on Central Avenue.

The 11th Street portion of the route will be a quiet zone, with no sirens or loud noises allowed.