Elgin Lions serve up RiverFest on June 14

ELGIN - This year’s RiverFest has a little something for everyone on Saturday, June 14.

The Lions, who sponsor the fundraiser, decided to centralize the activities at and around the Elgin Community Center.

“We’re trying to get things centrally located for convenience and so that people who get off the excursion train might get in on the fun too,” said Lions Secretary Jared Rogers of Elgin.

The Lions club will have vendors set up on the park side of the community center, and the car show and swap meet will be exhibiting on the ballpark side of the building.

Kicking off Saturday morning’s events is the firemen’s breakfast and open house starting at 7 a.m. at the new Emergency Services Building on 10th Avenue. Tours will be given of the new facility.

Also, city-wide yard sales will be ongoing throughout the day, and maps will be made available at all the vendor booths and at the car show.

Lions President Steve Oliver also has a race in store for the day.

“We’re going to have a duck derby, and we will sell about 500 plastic ducks at $2 a duck or six for $10. They will be released to float down Phillips Creek. Each duck will have a number on it, and the owners of the first three ducks to finish will receive cash prizes,” said Oliver.

The winner, he said, will receive 25 percent of the take. Second place will receive 15 percent and third place will receive 10 percent. The remaining proceeds go to benefit the charitable activities of the Lions Club.

The Blue Mountain Quilters will host a two-day quilt show with more than 100 quilts on exhibit. The show will be held on Friday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The show will be held at the Christian Life Center on the corner of 14th Avenue and Alder. “There will be a $3 admission fee and a raffle of one of the quilts there,” club President Ersela Delano of Elgin said. 

The third annual “Art Rocks” will be held Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stella Mayfield school. (See story below.)

At the Stampede Grounds on Saturday, the antique farm equipment show will be underway. A free shuttle service to the farm equipment show and back to the Community Center and other activity sites will be provided throughout the day by Community Connections, courtesy of the Union County Timber Cruisers Car Club.