Battle Ground’s Harvest Days festival will return Thursday, July 13, through Saturday, July 15, with a full schedule of events.
On Thursday, July 13, Harvest Days kicks off with the Mini Midway Carnival at Battle Ground High School from 4 to 11 p.m. It will be open on Friday, July 14, from 4 to 11 p.m. then from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday.
On Friday, July 14 the rotary clubs’ barbecue begins at 5 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m. at Battle Ground High School. The barbecue will offer pulled pork, chips, coleslaw and bun and will cost $15 per plate.
Also on Friday, the Harvest Nights Car Cruise kicks off at 6 p.m. and lasts until 9:30 p.m. The cruise is open for special interest vehicles from the 1980s and older. There will be no pre-registration but the cruise will cost $30 to enter. Signups begin at 3 p.m. at the Battle Ground High School parking lot off of North Parkway Avenue. Cars can begin staging in the parking lot after the registration fee is paid. The parking lot will be open to the public to view the cars prior to the 6 p.m. cruise.
At around 5 p.m., about an hour prior to the cruise, Main Street is set to close at Southwest Seventh Avenue and to the east toward Grace Avenue. Traffic on Main Street will be directed onto Southeast First Street. Main Street is expected to open to traffic at around 9:45 p.m. following the conclusion of the cruise.
The central location for events during Harvest Days will be the southeast portion of Battle Ground High School. The area will include the main stage, a vendor fair, a carnival, the Fun Fest Bounce-N-Battle and more.
Festivities on Saturday, July 15, will kick off at 7 a.m. with the Fire District 3 pancake breakfast that runs until 10 a.m. The pancake breakfast will be located at Battle Ground High School.
The vendor fair, which will be featuring over 60 vendors, will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 6 p.m. on Saturday. Vendors are set to offer products such as candles, jewelry, plants, clothes, wooden art, crystals and more.
The Harvest Days Parade will go down Main Street from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Parade categories can be found on the Battle Ground Festivals website. The categories include floats, big trucks, bands, automobile clubs and more. To learn more about the parade, visit battlegroundfestivals.com/events/harvest-days-parade/.
“The parade this year is going to feature the ancestors of the Umtuchs and Strongs. And so I think that’s kind of an interesting play on the history of Battle Ground,” Kendra Laratta, with the Battle Ground Festivals Association, told The Reflector. “We wanted to honor those families in the parade, so they’ll be the grand marshals of the parade.”
Also starting at 10 a.m. will be the Vintage BMX bike show and swap meet. The BMX bike show will be located near the skate park with parking available at the Little League fields and west parking lot at the community center. The bike show will conclude at 3 p.m.
The Firefighter’s Challenge will begin at 11 a.m. and finish at 2 p.m. taking place at the high school.
From 12 to 9 p.m., the rotary clubs’ barbecue will return at the high school with the same price and offerings as Friday’s barbecue.
The Bounce-N-Battle, separate from the carnival, will begin at 12:30 p.m. and conclude at 9 p.m. at the high school. A part of the Fun Fest, the Bounce-N-Battle is not just for kids, according to the Battle Ground Festivals’ Facebook page. Wristbands can be purchased with cash only.
Main Stage entertainment is set to kick off at 12:30 p.m. and run until 10 p.m.
Main Stage entertainment will feature:
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12:30 p.m. — Native American friendship and round dance and the song “Blessing of the Journey,” featuring parade grand marshals, the Umtuch family.
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1:30 p.m. — Master Oh’s
Taekwondo
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2 p.m. — The Studio Dance Company
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2:30 p.m. — K9 Officers demonstration
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3 p.m. — Music by Battle Ground’s Dan Dingman
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4 p.m. — Talent show
• 6:30 p.m. Talent show judging
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7 p.m. — Battle of the Service Clubs Barbecue Showdown judging
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7:30 p.m. — Main Stage band performance (As of Thursday, July 6, the band was still to be determined.)
The Harvest Days Talent Show will be returning for the first time since 2017, Laratta believes.
“That was one thing the community said they really would like to see again,” Laratta said.
The Battle of the Service Clubs Barbecue Showdown will be occurring all day Saturday. A $1 token includes a taste of the barbecue. Participants will provide the tokens to the service clubs they think should win the showdown.
The grand finale of Harvest Days will include a fireworks show beginning at 10 p.m. and concluding at around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.
A map showing where to watch the fireworks will be posted on the Battle Ground Festivals’ Facebook page. For more information regarding Harvest Days, visit the Facebook page or visit battle groundfestivals.com.
