The trucks are rolling in, the tables are set and everything is ready to go for the annual Silver City Days celebration in Trail, according to the organizing committee.
Committee president, Ian McLeod, is hoping for a good turnout for the 50-year anniversary of the community celebration.
“We always have a good crowd,” he said. “We hope for the 50th it’ll be even better.”
With the old Eagles building lot available this year McLeod is hoping there might even be additional rides offered at the midway.
“We’ve got some new vendors for the street mall and we’ll have a bit more room for the midway this year,” McLeod said. “There will also be a free concert on Sunday for Family Day at Gyro Park with Abracadabra, an ABBA cover band.”
Festival goers can expect many of the attractions they have come to appreciate over the years with live music on the main stage on Spokane Street from Wednesday to Saturday, a wide variety of tasty treats and novelties at the Festival Food Mall, and the Junior Smoke Eaters hosting the sidewalk cafe in the Cominco Arena Saturday.
For the young, and young at heart, the West Coast Amusements midway and carnival will be situated on the Esplanade and Kiddies Capers is back and will be held Saturday in the space previously occupied by Liquidation World in the old Town Square building.
This year the events are aiming to be more family-friendly as there will be no alcohol served at any of the venues and no festival gardens.
“With provincial legislation and city bylaws being what they are we’d need so much paid security staff we felt it wasn’t worth it,” said McLeod.
Silver City Days officially kicks off Wednesday with the opening of the food mall, live music on the Spokane Street stage, and midway.
As well as the street entertainment, food and rides there will be a senior’s dance Thursday evening for the more mature crowd in the Memorial Centre gym with live music by North of 60.
Friday the Miss Trail 2013 Pageant will be held at the Charles Bailey Theatre, also hosting 28 returning Miss Trail Queens from past pageants.
Saturday will be a busy day for the festival with the Silver City Days Firefighter’s Parade starting at 11 a.m., taking its usual route through downtown and the Smokin Steel Car Club will be holding their May Days Show ‘n Shine car show in the Fortis parking lot after the parade.
Saturday will also see Kiddies Capers as well as the Bartender’s Challenge on Spokane Street at 3 p.m.
The local firefighters will be lighting up the skies above Trail Saturday evening with the Anniversary Festival of Lights after the sun goes down. In honour of a half-century of the civic celebration the fireworks display is being expanded slightly from a 20-minute show to a half hour.
Sunday the annual Fun Run starts at Gyro Park at 9 a.m. with the Family Day Festival and vendor’s market running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with live entertainment.