Annual Benton Neighbor Days Festival returns Thursday

BENTON, Mo. -- For more than 50 years, the annual Benton Neighbor Days celebration has been providing families and friends with good food and fun over the Labor Day weekend.

From Thursday, Aug. 31, to Saturday, Sept. 2, the 54th annual Benton Neighbor Days Festival will return for to provide good food, drinks, live music, carnival rides, games, a parade and more.

According to Jim Wade, president of Benton Chamber of Commerce, the first Neighbor Days took place in 1925, However, after September 1943, due to restrictions imposed by war, it shut down for some time.

PBJ Happee Day Shows will conduct rides of the three-day event starting Thursday at 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. for $20 an armband.

"We will also have a band playing called Kings Garden on Thursday night near the beer stand," Wade said.

The band will start performing at 8 p.m. and keep going until the grounds close at 10 p.m.

At the Chamber of Commerce booth, registration will start for the Saturday 5K and kids' color run, as well as the Saturday cornhole competition and free prizes. The cornhole competition has a limit of 32 teams, a $40 per team entry fee and will be double elimination.

Wade said rides will reopen on Friday at 5 p.m. with $20 armbands valid until 11 p.m. Registration will once again be open to all interested parties.

The packets for the 5K and color run will be available for pickup at the Chamber of Commerce booth from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Wade said the Tiny Mr. and Miss Neighbor Day Pageant will begin at 6 p.m. on the Midway Stage, followed by the Little Mr. and Miss Neighbor Day Pageant and then Junior Miss Neighbor Day Pageant.

The former Benton High School building will host a viewing of photo exhibitions and a "Neighbor's Choice" Award voting period from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Wade also said a greased pole climb will take place at 8 p.m.

"We will have another live entertainment show on Friday night from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. called Kaos," Wade said.

Wade touched on the events scheduled for Saturday at the annual gathering.

"Saturday, the 5K and kids' color run is going to start at 7:15 a.m. at the Post Office here in town," Wade said. "At 10:30 a.m. we will have our parade, which is a pretty big deal."

Wade claims that while rides will reopen on Saturday at 11 a.m., $20 armbands will only be accessible from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The photo displays will once again be at the former high school building, according to Wade, and registration for the cornhole tournament will open up at 11 a.m.

On the ball diamond, there will be free activities for all ages on Saturday at noon, including egg tossing, water balloon tossing and nail driving. Registration for mud races will also be available near the old high school. The mud races, according to Wade, will start at 2 p.m. near the former high school, and registration is $25 per truck.

A kiddie tractor pull for children weighing between 30 and 90 pounds will take place in front of the midway stage on Saturday at 4 p.m.

According to Wade, anyone who entered the photo exhibit may pick up their exhibits between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Any awards will be presented at the old high school.

Wade said at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the cornhole competition will start on the ball diamond. At 7 p.m. Heartland Idol will begin on the Midway Stage.

Wade said a different band will perform on Saturday night from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The Neighbor Days celebration is an important time of the year for the community to get together, and Wade noted that he and the Chamber are looking forward to it this year.

"It's a time of year that everybody comes back and sees their old friends that they grew up with it or went to high school with and make a fun weekend of it," Wade said. "There's one man that lives up in Michigan now and he doesn't ever miss Neighbor Days, and he has been coming back each year for the past 40 years."