T-R FILE PHOTO Employees of PCA in Conrad celebrated their 25th anniversary during last year’s Black Dirt Days parade. The annual festival returns this weekend with a wide variety of events being held Friday and Saturday.

CONRAD — Conrad’s annual celebration of its world famous soil is returning to town this weekend with a full slate of events and a Hawaiian theme, “Aloha Conrad.”

It will all start Friday with the junior golf tournament at Oakwood on Friday morning at 9 a.m., and from there, many of the classic staples will be back in the mix, like the kiddie parade and crowning of Little Miss and Mr. Black Dirt Days, Bentley Mason and Alivia Boyd, in the downtown area followed by a Chamber-Main Street presentation with NuCara, a pool party, a musical performance from Cory Waller and the Wicked Things and then the nightcap fireworks at 9:45 p.m.

Saturday’s list of events is too long to type out word for word (see pages 6 and 7 of yesterday’s T-R for the full slate), but it will include plenty of favorites like the Dash n’ Splash 5k run at 8 a.m., the community breakfast and dog show at Reunion Park, the deadlift competition and car show, the truck and tractor pull and local band Grand Marshall capping off the night.

Of course, no small town festival would be complete without a parade, and that will be happening Saturday morning beginning at 11:30 a.m. with emcee Dillon Jacobson, a BCLUW graduate and aspiring filmmaker. Comet coaching legend Dave Lee and his wife Linda will serve as the grand marshals for the parade.

Black Dirt Days Committee Chair Lindsay Kuhl is in her third year in the position and is excited to bring the storied festival back to town with a host of events for the whole family.

“I truly try to improve the festival each year however that may be. We did have a couple of our usual vendors retire this year, but we tried to fill in other places. We also lowered the wristband price this year, which I was excited about for our community,” she said. “I am so appreciative, speechless, and absolutely grateful to our sponsors. This literally is not possible without them. I am also grateful for my committee members who help me with various aspects of the festival to make it flow and come together. They all help ease my stress. I hope everyone can find something for them at the festival, and I hope people continue to support and visit our great little town of Conrad!”

For additional information, visit the Black Dirt Days Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/blackdirtdays.

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