Ridiculous Days kick off Thursday

WASHINGTON — Washington’s 78th-year “Ridiculous Days” celebrations are planned June 5-8, with an array of activities, sidewalk sales and other attractions on the roster.

The Washington Chamber of Commerce has a car show and seven live performances planned, and expects over 20 food vendors at the four-day celebration, according to Chamber Director Michelle Redlinger. Other staples are also returning to downtown, including a street dance, parade and beverage tent.

“I’m really appreciative of the businesses and organizations that partner with us on the event,” she said. “We’re continuing a tradition, and focusing on community … as our lives get busier and more disconnected, holding onto our traditions can be very valuable.”

Festivities partially organized by Chamber’s new event manager

Widely considered the Chamber’s biggest annual event effort, Redlinger said she had help organizing this year’s Ridiculous Days from Kelly Stucker, the organization’s new event manager.

It’s been something of a trial by fire for the newcomer, a former Chamber volunteer who started in her newfound official role earlier this year.

“I felt like it was kind of nice coming in with fresh eyes,” she said. “Having not done this before, I was just contacting everyone. I didn’t have any preconceived notions about what Ridiculous Days looked like … We’ve had three events in the first 75 days that I’ve worked here, so it’s been a mad dash.”

More family activities this year, ‘condensed’ time frame

While Ridiculous Days will run from June 5-8, Redlinger and Stucker said the family activities in central park — a mainstay attraction at the annual town festival — would be “condensed” this year, from 2-5 p.m. Saturday and 5-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

While it’s a shorter window than in years past, organizers said they hoped to keep things lively with a full park.

“We’re condensing the time frames to before and after the parade, and letting the mornings highlight and focus on the businesses,” Redlinger said, referencing the sidewalk sales around Washington’s square that are also part of its Ridiculous Day tradition.

That’s not to say there’ll be any shortage of fun to be had in the park.

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Stucker said she’d done her best to line up a variety of new things to do during those family activity hours. Some new additions to this year’s lineup are a “mega foam blaster,” a pinewood derby, and an inflatable obstacle course, among other things.

“We worked really hard to fill the park this year, and make it fun for the kids,” she said. “I tried, working within our budget, to work in as much as I can. I tried to really fill it, so nobody’s just standing around.”

Kiwanis Clubs to celebrate their own anniversaries

As Ridiculous Days turns 78, Washington’s Kiwanis A.M.’ers and noon clubs will also celebrate anniversaries this week, with a proclamation from the mayor on Thursday as they turn 50 and 75, respectively.

Dean Kurtz — a former Kiwanis Noon Club president and current member who also played a pivotal role in reviving Washington’s Ridiculous Days festivities — said the clubs hit their milestone birthdays last month, but were excited to celebrate with the community.

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“It seems that we’re doing something right, because we can still give a lot of money back to the community,” he said “It’s all for the children. We give money to stuff that’s involved with young kids, scholarships all down to little stuff, like the children’s park.”

In addition to the Thursday night proclamation, Kurtz said the groups would participate in the Ridiculous Days parade on Saturday.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com