It’s that time of year again. September has snuck up on us.
We woke up to cooler temperatures last weekend and all we can do is pray that they stick around. Kids are back in school. Football games are underway. Halloween candy is on store shelves. Fall festivals and community gatherings are well underway. And the annual Collinsville Pioneer Day is a week away.
Traditionally held on the third Saturday in September, this year’s Pioneer Day will be celebrated Saturday, Sept. 21. This is the 50th Pioneer Day and this year’s theme is ‘50 Years of Pioneers.’
The celebration has seen several changes and different organizers over the years, but it remains as a mainstay in the Collinsville community. The first Pioneer Day was held at the city park in 1975. It was a multi-day holiday event scheduled around the 4th of July. It was sponsored by the Park Association to raise money for the city park. The next year in 1976, Pioneer Day went all out to celebrate the nation’s centennial.
Events included a womanless wedding, games for the kids, parade and a drama presented by community volunteers. Sometime later, Pioneer Day moved to the downtown square and cut back to just one day. Still held in the middle of summer, it was an especially hot affair that kicked off with the parade early that morning and ended with a street dance late that night.
I can remember the sweltering temperatures on the downtown asphalt as a kid. I can remember folks overheating from the conditions. The heat was the main reason organizers decided to move Pioneer Day to September a couple decades ago.
Different groups and organizations have spearheaded the event over the years. The park board at multiple different times, city staff, the now-defunct Downtown Business Association and— over the past 12 years or so— the Collinsville Area Chamber of Commerce. The event was scaled back a few years ago to move the event back to the afternoon and evening. So it is today— an event that lasts from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. in downtown Collinsville.
We are just a week away and I encourage you to put it on your calendar.
This year’s 50th celebration will be one for the books. We have expanded the Kids Zone to include a rock climbing wall, mechanical bull, dunking booth, petting zoo, photo booth and an entertainment stage geared just to the kids. All these attractions are free.
We have partnered with the Southern Cross Car Club to host the annual Toadsuck Car Show. Cars will be lined down Hughes Street and on the south side of the square.
All car show proceeds will benefit the Grayson County Children’s Advocacy Center.
I say “we,” because — in full disclosure— I am on the board of directors of the Collinsville Area Chamber of Commerce. I also serve as this year’s Pioneer Day Chairman.
Vendor booths are filling up. There will be plenty of food and fellowship. The annual bake-off contest will take place in the community building followed by Bingo. We have enjoyed a great partnership with the Collinsville Economic Development Corporation in recent years to provide top-notch entertainment throughout the day.
A full schedule of events will be in next week’s News-Record, but just know that the day will cap off with two great bands.
The Fort Worth-based Tejas Brothers will be back by popular demand. They are a crowd favorite. They take the stage at 9:30 p.m. Opening the show for them will be Tioga native Isaac Sloane and his group, the Sound Brigade. Though Isaac is a local favorite, they are making waves in the Texas music scene. Someday soon, you will be able to say, “I saw them in Collinsville for free— way back when.”
Maybe I’m partial to this event because Collinsville is my hometown. It’s where Jennifer and I have chosen to raise our kids. We are invested here and my family has been for generations.
I started volunteering at Pioneer Days when I was in high school and have seen the many iterations of it over the years. I can honestly say our current festival production is top-notch. You will not find a better small-town festival anywhere. It takes a lot of partners to put this thing together and we appreciate every one of them.
I would be remiss if I did not invite you to my hometown next Saturday, Sept. 21. The parade starts at 5 p.m. and the opening ceremony will be at 4 p.m.downtown.
For more information about Pioneer Day, check out the Chamber’s Facebook page or website www.collinsvilletxchamber.com or call me here at the newspaper office, 903-564-3565.
Hope to see you there.
