Artist Alley weekend features host of activities

The 53rd annual Artist Alley festival will feature a rodeo, theater, music and more, including  a finale fireworks show, beginning Friday and through the weekend.

At noon Friday, Chanute officials will dedicate the two-story Welcome to Chanute mural at the Octave Chanute-Wright Brothers park downtown. 

Beginning at 4 pm Friday, Neosho County Community College will host a ribbon-cutting at its new Mitchell Career & Technical Center in the Chanute Industrial Park. 

The NCCC All-Alumni reunion will begin at 6 pm Friday in the Student Union.

At 7 am Saturday, the Masonic Lodge 103 of Chanute will hold a pancake breakfast until 10:30 am Saturday.

Howard’s Hot Rod Club will hold its annual car, truck, tractor and motorcycle show from 8 am to 1 pm Saturday at Howard’s Toys for Big Boys car museum.

The fifth annual 5K Run for Ollie steps off at 8:15 am Saturday starting at the Google Earth logo at Main and Lincoln. Organizer Ryan Ortiz founded the run in honor of his nephew, who died in 2016 at a Eudora daycare. 

The Chanute Public Library will hold its Artist Alley book sale from 9 am to 3 pm Saturday.

Train rides on the Southern Kansas and Oklahoma railroad will depart at 9 am, 1 pm and 3 pm at the former Santa Fe depot downtown. 

Helicopter rides will also be available, and will take up to three passengers per trip instead of one as in the past.

Booths and activities will open at 9 am, including a petting zoo and pony rides. Art demonstrations and exhibits will be at the Chanute Art Gallery.

Jim Kramer of Kramer Farms will be on hand with the petting zoo. Artist Alley will have 70 arts and crafts vendors, 10 food vendors and four informational groups and organizations. 

The National Guard will provide four vehicles and a rock climbing wall. Manhatchet will bring a portable axe-throwing trailer from Manhattan. 

At 10:30 am, participants will line up in Katy Park for the Homecoming Parade, which begins at 11 am. 

As of noon Wednesday, 20 entries had registered for the parade.

Entertainment at the Main Street Pavilion will be Damaris beginning at 9:30 am, the Royster Middle School Vocal Plus choir at noon, and Sky Smeed from 1 to 3 pm.

Studio B Dance Center will perform at 10:15 am at Google Earth and Brenda’s Dance will perform at noon.

The Neosho River Boys will perform in Santa Fe Park 7-10 pm Saturday evening, and food vendor trucks will be on hand. They will have a patriot finale before a fireworks display at 10 pm Saturday.