For decades, the parade went straight west on Central Avenue from about 15th Street to the City Square.

Last year, major construction at the intersection of Central Avenue and 12th Street prevented the use of that traditional route, so organizers devised a new plan.

This year’s parade will follow that 2025 plan. Vehicles and groups in the parade will line up at the City Square. The parade will then head east on First Avenue North to 11th Street.

At 11th Street, the parade will turn south. The one block of 11th Street between First Avenue North and Central Avenue has been designated a quiet zone, where no sirens or other loud noises will be permitted.

-Submitted image Vehicles and groups in the parade will line up at the City Square. The parade will then head east on First Avenue North to 11th Street. At 11th Street, the parade will turn south. The one block of 11th Street between First Avenue North and Central Avenue has been designated a quiet zone, where no sirens or other loud noises will be permitted.

At Central Avenue, the parade will turn west and return to the City Square.

A map of the parade route appears on page 6A of today’s edition of The Messenger.

The parade is big and popular, but it is just one piece of the Frontier Days celebration.

Frontier Days actually begins Friday evening. The gates at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village will open at 4 p.m. An opening ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. There will be events and shows throughout the evening, with the last one being the Dugans Glow Foam Party starting at 9:15 p.m

The gates at the Fort Museum will open at 9 a.m. Saturday but with the parade starting at 10 a.m. there won’t be much activity there for the first couple of hours. Saturday’s first scheduled event on the grounds is a cannon demonstration at 11 a.m. by a group of Civil War reenactors called the Army of the Southwest. Shows and live music will continue throughout the day, with the last one being Rodini’s Magic of the Mind Hypnosis Show starting at 9:30 p.m.

-Messenger file photo
The Hole in the Sock Gang will be among the traditional returning favorites at this year’s Frontier Days.

Gates at the Fort Museum will open again at 9 a.m. Sunday. The first scheduled events are a Lions pancake breakfast and a church service. An auction beginning at 3:30 p.m. will be the last event of Frontier Days 2026.

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

The musical 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 have also been added to Frontier Days this year.

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

-Messenger file photo
Roger Netz, of Manson, aka The Sandhill Kid, plays guitar for the crowd during the 2024 Frontier Days at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village. He is returning for this year's event.

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.

-Messenger file photo
Annalicia Bass, then 13, of Gilmore City, and her brother Lyrik Bass, then 2, of Gilmore City, attend the 2024 Frontier Days parade in downtown Fort Dodge.