Annual Hampton celebration runs on volunteerism
“Summer Lovin’ in Hampton” is the theme for this year’s Booster Days celebration set to kick off on Friday evening. That theme, according to organizing committee chair Corbin Fagan, is a loose nod to America’s 250th birthday this summer and the way the nation’s bicentennial was celebrated in 1976.
“It’s a throwback to the past a little bit to see where we came from,” Fagan said. “It’ll be a fun theme for the parade and it’s always fun to get together with the community and do our Family Night on Friday and then have a street dance Saturday. We’re kind of just trying to get everybody in the community together and hang out for a weekend, and hopefully we don’t have any bad weather.”
Fagan said while in view of the America 250 theme this year patriotic decorations would be appropriate for Sunday afternoon’s Grand Parade, leaving the door wide open to creativity.
“We leave the theme really broad, just to see what people come up with from year to year,” he said.
While Fagan has become the face of Booster Days over the past few years, he says the real hands and feet of the event is the group of about a dozen volunteers who do the real work of putting it together each year.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere without them,” he said. “It takes all of us and it takes weeks of planning and meetings just to try to get everything to come together. We’ve got people who do all our running for supplies and groceries and all those things.”
This year’s celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday evening with the Chic-Giz-Balls Youth Sports Fundraiser at the City Auditorium (Aud). Food will be served until 8 p.m. for a free will donation. Bingo will take place at the Fire Barn from 7-9 p.m. and the Family Fun Night at the Aud will take place from 8:30-10:30 p.m. The Glow Run sponsored by Hampton Schools will begin at 9 p.m.
The fun continues on Saturday beginning with a free continental breakfast sponsored by United Lutheran Church at the Fire Barn from 8-10 a.m. And at 8:30 a.m. the annual Sand Volleyball Tournament will begin at the park. The cost is $75 per team and those wishing to enter may contact Theresa Dose at 402-694-8754.
Throughout the morning food and drinks will be available from various vendors in the park, including J&J Extreme Donuts and Dirty Spur Coffee, the Beer & Pop Bob Raffle, A1 Southern Cooking and Kona Ice.
For kids, water inflatables will be set up at the park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Saturday evening a beer garden will be set up at the Aud from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Bingo will start up again at the Fire Barn from 7-9 p.m.
The street dance will take place in front of the Aud starting at 9 p.m. featuring the music of the popular local country group, “Pioneer Band.”
Sunday’s Booster Days events will begin with the Community Church Service at the Aud led by Zion Lutheran. Following that, the Ervin Schulz Memorial Antique Tractor Show will begin at 11 a.m. and a Cornhole Tournament with proceeds going to support the Hampton Daycare Center will also take place at that time.
At midday food and drinks will be available at the Aud from J&J Extreme Donuts, Sprockets Hot Dogs and Dirty Spur Coffee.
Line up for the parade will begin at 3 p.m. near the former St. Peter’s Church and the Summer Lovin’ Parade down Main Street will begin at 4. Prizes will be offered in various categories.
Kona Ice will be set up near the Aud from 4-6 p.m. and the Community BBQ Supper will begin at 5 p.m. at the Aud.
“We’re doing pulled pork this year, and we usually serve somewhere between 300 and 500 people every year,” Fagan said. “This year we’ll be cooking up around 300 pounds of meat.”
The final events of the celebration will include the Pedal Tractor Pull sponsored by FFA and the Knockout Basketball Tournament (with proceeds going to support Kyle’s Locker) starting at 6 p.m. The celebration will conclude with the annual Egg Drop Contest for kids which starts at 6:30.
The full schedule of Booster Days activities can be found at the Hampton Community Club page on Facebook.