The Danish villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton in western Iowa are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Tivoli Fest this holiday weekend. The theme for the centennial is “Treasuring the Past…Embracing the Future.”
Event coordinator Susan Greving, of Elk Horn, says the town’s story will be told in the Centennial Pageant, which involves a cast of more than four-dozen local adults and children. Greving says the show is built around a number of acts, songs and presentations which tells the story of early Danish immigration and the first settlements on through recent technological advancements.
The pageant takes place from 7 to 9 PM tonight at Elk Horn High School. The Mill to Mermaid Fun Run is this morning and the parade begins at 11 AM, while the fireworks start at 9:30 tonight. Stacy Larson, the Tivoli Fest coordinator, says this weekend’s list of wide-ranging events has been a year in the planning.
Other attractions include: the second-annual Tour de Tivoli bike ride on Sunday, music and many other forms of entertainment and cultural activities. One of the fun events for both kids and adults is the LEGO sculpture contest.
Jo Christofferson, with the Elk Horn Library, says there have been some unique sculptures created just for the contest, including one from local high school graduate Steve Howard. He constructed a four-foot high windmill out of LEGOs. There’s also a chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime commemorative postmark from Elk Horn’s Centennial Celebration, available at the Elk Horn Post Office today from 10 AM until 2 PM.
Learn more by searching for “Tivolifest” on Facebook, on the Danish Windmill’s website at www.danishwindmill.com and the City of Elk Horn’s website.
Thanks to Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic