Decatur Celebration
Thursday, Aug. 6, 7-11pm • Friday, Aug. 7, 5-11pm Saturday, Aug. 8, 11am-11pm • Sunday, Aug. 9, 11am-9:30pm
This summer, hundreds of thousands of people will flock to downtown Decatur to attend one of the largest free street festivals in the Midwest. The “Midwest’s most exciting street festival,” the Decatur Celebration, runs Thursday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 9.
Decatur Celebration, now in its 29 th year, is the 1986 brainchild of Fred Puglia, who pitched the “crazy” idea of holding a street festival in downtown Decatur, completely free to all residents. Puglia pitched his idea to Decatur Mayor Gary Anderson, who ended up going crazy for the idea. After gaining further approval from the city council and extensive planning by a committee of only six, 125,000 guests enjoyed three days of family fun during the first annual Decatur Celebration.
Family fun is still at the forefront of Decatur Celebration, and new entertainment and activities are welcomed each year. An exciting new development this year is an extension of the festival, the Decatur Celebration Summer Concert Series, which will feature live music, entertainment and festival food in Decatur’s Central Park. Four concerts will be held on Friday nights; June 5 and 26, and July 10 and 31. For the second year in a row, the festival will crown a King and Queen, one couple who together raise the most funds for the fair. The 2015 King and Queen candidate profiles can be viewed online at http://decaturcelebration.com.
A regular highlight of Decatur Celebration is the great music lineup. Friday’s headliners are southern rock band Blackberry Smoke and multi-platinum country quartet Lonestar. Saturday’s lineup offers Grammy Awardwinning blues-rockers Blues Traveler, 90s hiphop persona Vanilla Ice, country artist Deana Carter, and up-and-coming Christian singer/ songwriter Moriah Peters. The final night of the festival, Sunday, features performances by Grammy Award-winning R&B sensations Kool & the Gang, songstresses En Vogue, and Christian pop-rock chart toppers Unspoken.
The regular offerings are as huge as the 10 stages of music and entertainment. There will be three blocks of artists and crafters, the awardwinning Land of Lincoln Credit Union 21 Film Project with films showing Friday through Sunday plus an awards show, a wine garden with blues music, vendors and shopping, the famed Razzle Dazzle Goodtimes Parade on Saturday at 10 a.m., a kids’ block with activities, games and prizes, and more than 60 unique food items in a food festival-like atmosphere.
Admission is free to Decatur Celebration, but you’ll need to purchase tickets for carnival rides. Tickets can be purchased as a sheet of 22 for $20, or for $1 each. Most rides cost between three and five tickets. A $20 all-inclusive package will be offered on carnival rides good for Thursday night only, in celebration of “Family Fun Night.”
Details and maps for the Decatur Celebration are located online at http:// decaturcelebration.com.
