The town of Caledonia, 10 miles north of Columbus, will have the welcome mat out Saturday as residents and visitors celebrate the seventh annual Caledonia Day. In many ways, the event held every year on the third Saturday of October is a homecoming for the close-knit community.
“A lot of people that are from here come back for this,” said Caledonia Day co-chair Cathy Brown. “And this year we”ve added something different, a free concert Saturday night by The Dirt Brothers.”
An 8 a.m. pet parade emceed by Circuit Court Judge Jim Kitchens will kick off a day filled with almost 100 craft and food vendors, live entertainment, dance groups and plenty of other activities downtown. Craft vendors will be open until 5 p.m. Select food vendors will remain open during the concert.
An opening ceremony at 10 a.m. will include a presentation of colors by Caledonia Boy Scout Troop 9. Political speeches at 10:30 a.m. will be followed by entertainment by Jumps, Kicks and Splits, the Caledonia High School Dance Team, New Salem Praise Band, a dulcimer group and others.
A 5K run starting from Ola J. Pickett Park also begins at 8 a.m. Lawn mower races are slated for 1 p.m. at the park.
Festivities will culminate with the free concert by The Dirt Brothers downtown from 6-8 p.m. The Memphis-based band known for their high-energy stage show has family connections in Caledonia. The group”s first video release, “Hotty Toddy,” thrust them into the spotlight in 2008 when it was voted the No. 1 fan pick by Great American Country Network viewers.
A perennial draw of Caledonia Day is the creative decor spotted from one end of the festival area to the other. Each business is encouraged to decorate with a fall theme and awards will be announced Saturday.
“We expect beautiful weather and lots of good fellowship,” Brown said. “This area has grown so much in the past several years; this is a good way to get new people involved in the community. There”s a lot of small town camaraderie; everybody here is just very proud of the town. We encourage everyone to come experience that.”
For more information, contact Caledonia Town Hall at 662-356-4117, or Brown at 662-356-6993.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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