Troy continues centennial celebration this weekend
Not every town celebrates their centennial twice, but Troy is not every town.
The community will celebrate Troy Centennial Days this Friday and Saturday, bringing people together over food, music, games and supporting businesses around town.
According to the architect behind the event, Head of the Troy Planning Committee Jeni Evans, the Troy Centennial was such a hit last year that the committee is continuing the event for Friday and Saturday,
“I think lots of people are excited,” Evans said. “Our actual 100th birthday was last year, but we’ve had a lot of people ask about it.”
Troy Mayor Darren Coldwell said he’s excited for the event as a public official and as a business owner.
“As mayor I’m very excited about it because it brings the community together, and as a business owner I’m excited because it brings people to the businesses.”
The Centennial Stamp Card game is a new feature of this year’s event. The event was created with the intention of bringing people to the businesses around town. Participants can pick up a stamp card from one of the local businesses and receive a stamp from every business they enter. Each business the participant enters will stamp the card, and after the card is filled, the participant can then enter it into a drawing to win up to $100.
Evans said that after the word started to spread about the event, different individuals approached the committee to set up a “pay-it-forward” program. For example, a pay-it-forward would consist of someone buying a burger for the next person in line. The charitable and generous act, Evans said, will hopefully encourage people to come out and not just support the business, but also each other.
The Silver Spur restaurant will feature dinner specials all day Friday and Saturday, and Bradley Evans Consulting will give out free birthday cake all day Friday.
“It’s about supporting the community and bringing people together,” Evans said. “We’re hoping lots of people come out.”
On Friday, the event will kick off at 3 p.m. with banana splits at the Main Street Perk lawn going until 7 p.m. The Farmers Market will open up booths at the Troy Museum at 3:30 p.m., selling fresh fruits, vegetables, food, flowers and handcrafted goods. They will also be putting on yard games for the kids at the museum until 6:30 p.m. Bryan Lloyd and Mike Laffoon will play music at R-Place from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the front lawn. During the music, R-Place will be selling burgers, fries, and soft drinks for $1 each. At 7 p.m., football fans are encouraged to attend the Troy Trojans football game against Loyola.
On Saturday, the Trout Pond will host the Kid’s Fishing Derby for kids 12 years old and younger from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., sponsored by Booze N’ Bait.
The event wraps up with the Old Fashioned Street Dance at 9 p.m., hosted by the Home Bar and VFW on Yaak Avenue. The band, Scott Free, will play a mix of country, blues and jazz.
For more information about the event, call Evans at 295-2226.
Reporter Bethany Rolfson may be reached at 293-4124 or by email at Reporter@TheWesternNews.com.