Ole Tyme Days returns this weekend
DAYTON— It’s that time of the year as Dayton Ole Tyme Days Festival Association, Inc., is gearing up for the annual festival.
The 33rd Dayton Ole Tyme Days Festival will be held from Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13, and will have plenty of fun for people of all ages.
“I’m extremely thrilled. Last year, we handed out $33,500 to 17 students, so we are hoping to surpass that,” Festival Chair Anna Smith said. “We have a lot of new volunteers this year, so we’re just trying to kind of get them on track with us.”
The festival doubles as a fundraiser for scholarships for Dayton High School seniors. The association has awarded scholarships since 1997.
“The biggest joy of anything is when you hand over that scholarship,” Smith said with a smile. “It’s worth every bit of it, seeing the smile on those kids’ faces and just knowing you’re giving them a good start.”
As always, there will be a BBQ Cook-Off with categories including brisket, ribs, chicken, steak, fajitas, main entree, beans, margarita and dessert.
The Junior Chili Cook-Off is as popular as ever, allowing young chefs to showcase their skills. Ages 5 to 18 can compete in the cook-off with opportunities to win trophies and up to $200.
For attendees interested in tasting the chili, taster’s choice tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.
The Lil’ Miss and Lil’ Mister Pageant will be held again this year with an “Easter Wonderland” theme.
Following the pageant theme, a free Easter egg hunt will be introduced this year. Participants must provide their own basket and prizes include golden eggs, candy and prize eggs.
The car show and jeep show will be on Saturday, featuring classics ranging from vintage pre-1949 to modern muscle cars and trucks with everything in between. The Jeep Show will feature both stock and modified jeeps and 4x4s.
The festival wraps up with the Third Annual Latino Day on Sunday, with live entertainment, ballet folklorico, dancing horse show The main stage will include artists such as Celeste Escobar, Jacob De La Rosa, Caballos Bailadores, Ballet Folklorico de Dayton, DJ Burciaga and more.
Come out and have a great time. Visit the many vendors, food booths, and carnival rides.
“I’m just grateful for every single volunteer, every single committee member and all the sponsors because without any of that, we wouldn’t be able to make it possible,” Smith said. “I would really love to say thank you just to everybody that’s reached out. It takes everyone and I’m just grateful for everyone.”
For more information on when each event will take place, check out the Dayton Ole Tyme Days special section of this edition of The Vindicator.
For questions on the BBQ Cook-Off, contact Taylor Clawson at 936-641-4714. For questions on the Junior Chili Cook-Off, contact Eric Lindstrom at 936-346- 6695. For questions on the car show, contact Weslee Woodard at 713-553-9705. For questions on the Jeep/4x4 show, contact Tiffany Few at 936391-2031 or tiffanylenaess@yahoo. com. For questions on the vendor booths, contact Sheree Woodard at 281-224-2975. For questions about Latino Day, contact Berenice and Elier at 713-614-8379.
For more information on any event, visit www.daytonoletymedays. com. For any questions, contact Smith at 713-492-5880 or by email at dotdfest@ yahoo.com or dotdfestival@yahoo.com.