Vendors battle storms

SIDNEY -- The annual Sidney Gold Rush Days took over Legion Park June 13-15 with attractions from the historic to the fun family events.

Friday night events were at the mercy of the storms with participants and vendors watching the skies.

Ken Geu, treasurer for the Gold Rush Days board, said the storms wreaked havoc on the event, but most of the vendors stayed through the weekend.

"We got lightning-ed out on Friday night, and Saturday was great until after we closed down and then the wind came through and destroyed a whole bunch of vendor booths. We were out until after midnight trying to capture rogue canopies and vendor merchandise. I hear from somebody out at Walmart that they almost sold out of canopies Sunday morning. There was a lot of them who bought new canopies and set up on Sunday," Geu said.

Among the new attractions this year, the Buffalo Soldiers started Saturday with their formal procession.

"We had quite a few new things this year. We had the Buffalo Soldiers of the American West. They came out. That was very well received. That was great," he said.

There was also a petting zoo and a Bounce House. This year's event also included music from the IWMA (International Western Music Association).

Gold Rush Days had a different layout this year with food vendors near the Living Memorial Gardens, resulting in a kind of food court.

"Every year we rearrange a little bit in the park. I think our new layout is quite nice. Since the City paved the parking lot last year that opened up the opportunity to put vendors over there. So we expanded into the area behind Memorial Gardens," Geu said.

He said attendance is expected to be about the same as last year. 

"We're always looking for more frontiersmen or crafts people that want to come out, set up and do things, and always looking for volunteers, wants to help out with a community festival," Geu said.

Gold Rush Days can be reached at contact@sidneygoldrushdays.org.