Annual Hayday Festival on tap for this weekend

The 11th annual Fun Night Hayday Festival will take place this Saturday at the Cheyenne County 4-H building.

It’s an opportunity for Sidney residents to ingratiate themselves in a family environment filled with fun and prizes for all ages. The Hayday festival has grown to become a huge success for Sidney over the last 11 years.

“It started out small,” said one of the organizers and Cool Kids Coordinator Colleen Langdon. “It was originally held at a shelter house, and then it was moved to the fairgrounds. As the years went on, attendance grew. Now we bring in anywhere from 200 to 300 people.”

The event boast a number of exciting activities, such as bounce house, face painting, prizes and more. Prizes are split into categories based on age. Groups consist of birth – 5 years old, 6-8, 9-12 and 13-18.

The Cheyenne Community Center has also taken apart in the festivities. They are offering free visit passes and free year-long passes as prizes to students and their families. The community center and the public schools have been collecting items in the past weeks to give to children and their families as prizes.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome. All proceeds will go to the Cool Kids and the Kids Plus programs.

This day is tailored toward families in Cheyenne County. It serves as an affordable outing for families and kids of all ages.

Everyone in the community will be involved in this event, including the local law enforcement.

“The Sheriff’s Department along with Sidney Police Department will be in attendance as well,” Langdon said. “They’ll be somewhat of our V.I.P. Guests.”

Langdon encourages families to take advantage and come enjoy the event.

“We have an awful lot of the community invested in this,” Langdon added. “Our goal is to provide an evening to families at no cost, where they can truly enjoy themselves.”

Festivities will run from 6-8 p.m.