Since the Olpe Downhome festival was reinstated in 2003, its purpose has been fundraising for improvements at Olpe’s Jones Park. Multiple activities on Saturday provided a day filled with family-oriented fun, from a 6:30 a.m. breakfast provided by the Methodist church to a street dance lasting until midnight. “This is our 21st year,” Joyce Wilson, festival organizer and Olpe City Clerk, said. “There was no event in 2020, due to COVID. We actually had celebrations sporadically through the 1980s and early 1990s–originally, the festival was put on by the fire fighters to raise money.” Wilson and her husband brought the festival back to life. “We just needed a community event,” she said. “It’s had its ups and downs. The park flooded at least one time, and we’ve had torrential rains.” An afternoon parade lined up at the school, featuring tractors, bicycles, ATVs, a horse-drawn buggy, fire trucks, and police vehicles proceeding through downtown Olpe. The firemen’s barbeque drew a hungry crowd and led to even more downtown events like bed races, military service personnel appreciation, and a street dance with DJ Chuck Torres. The Olpe Fire Department Equipment Fundraiser featured a drawing for three separate firearms, with a limited number of tickets available for purchase. A 20-year class reunion was also held in conjunction with the Downhome festival.
Source: Emporia Gazette
