Heritage Days celebration to take place July 7, 8, 9

The 29th Annual Heritage Days Festival, Mount Vernon’s biggest summer festival, will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 7, 8 and 9, in and around Uptown Mount Vernon.

With a parade theme of “Old School Superheroes,” this year’s festivities will include fireworks, old-fashioned carnival games, as well as live performances, bingo, a beer tent and a “mini-Olympics for kids.”

New this year will be a series of Old-Time Carnival games set up on 1st Street, each managed by a different community group that offer family fun at an affordable price, as well as a live community talent show, “Mount Vernon’s Got Talent,” Saturday, July 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Main Stage.

The festivities begin Monday, June 27, with a 7:30 p.m. fundraiser (pay-what-you-can) showing at The Bijou, 123 2nd Ave. SW, of the 1966 “Batman” movie starring Adam West.

Heritage Days Weekend begins on Thursday, July 7, at 6 p.m., at the Kernoustie Country Club, 203 Country Club Drive, Mount Vernon, with a “mini-Olympics for kids” (registration begins at 5:30 p.m.). It will be followed by food and family activities at Kernoustie, with the annual Fireworks Display at dark.

Food vendors will be set up on First Street West, and will open Friday, July 8, from noon to midnight, and Saturday, July 9, from noon to midnight. A beer tent will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday, July 8, and from noon to midnight on Saturday.

The Mount Vernon/Lisbon Young Adult Theatre will be presenting Guys and Dolls in the District Auditorium, 525 Palisades Road SW. Shows will be at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

On Friday night, July 8, The Heritage Days Kids Fun Run will take place at Cornell Football Field. The event offers several classes of races for kids 10 & under (registration will take place from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m.).

The Main Street Stage on Mount Vernon’s First Street West will feature live entertainment from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday, July 8; and 12:30 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, July 9. Mainstage performers include Swinging Doors on Friday, July 8, at 9 p.m.; and Rattlebox on Saturday, July 9, at 9 p.m.

The Heritage Days Parade will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 9. With a theme of “Old School Superheroes,” the parade’s lineup will be at the Small Multi-Sport Center parking lot, 835 1st St. NW. The parade will start on First Street West, and then wind down 5th Avenue North and will end at 7th Street. Line up begins at 9:30 a.m.

New this year will be a series of Old-Fashioned Carnival Games set up on 1st Street, each managed by a different community group that offer family fun at an affordable price. Community partner groups include First Presbyterian Church of Mount Vernon, the Rehabilitation Center of Lisbon, Mount Vernon Archery Club, Mount Vernon High School Cheerleaders, Mount Vernon High School Band and the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Rotary Club.

Also new this year will be a live community talent show, “Mount Vernon’s Got Talent,” Saturday, July 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Main Stage. Early sign-ups are being encouraged through http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e4daeae2ca64-mount

“We are excited to honor Old School Superheroes for Heritage Days this year,” says Wade Squiers, Chair of the Heritage Days Committee. “We have collaborated with a number of community partners to create a series of Old-Time Carnival games so as to ensure a good time at a reasonable price for kids of all ages. We invite everyone in the area to find their inner Old School Superhero at Mount Vernon Heritage Days.”

A complete schedule of events is available here

About Mount Vernon

Historic Mount Vernon, Iowa, is the home to 4500 residents, including 1200 college students enrolled at Cornell College. Located in Eastern Iowa at the intersection of Highways 30 and 1, 20 miles north of Iowa City and 15 miles east of Cedar Rapids, it boasts a vibrant uptown business community with numerous antique and specialty stores, restaurants, coffee houses, art galleries, and three National Historic Districts. Mount Vernon was named one of America’s “10 Coolest Small Towns” by Budget Travel magazine in October of 2009. More information is available at visitmvl.com

 


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