Soldotna Senior Center float totes a Rockin' legacy and places 1st at 46th Progress Days Parade.

Cloudy skies and weak sockeye returns didn’t deter what seems to have been a record year for visitors at the 46th Soldotna Progress Days last weekend. The event which originated as a weekend to celebrate the progress of a community founded by homesteaders in the land of the Dena’ina has become a targeted tourist destination date. According to Shanon Hamrick, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council, visitors are looking to events when planning their trips, “In our competitive destination marketplace, events such as Progress Days help spotlight what makes our Kenai Peninsula communities special. Events are an increasingly important tool to the visitor industry. They draw people to areas they may not have otherwise visited, and they help show communities in their best light.”

Saturday’s parade was the most entertaining ever with over 100 entries that featured everything from miniature horses pulling carts with drivers bigger then they were, to political candidates, classic cars, fire trucks, and hot rods, to the ever popular people walking their weenies, dozens of dachshunds some even wearing their own bun. The stop in front to the grandstand judges was a show in itself that featured everything from acrobatic cheerleaders, to Rockin’ Soldotna Seniors, Karate kids and 4-wheeler demonstrations.

Soldotna Chamber officials estimated there were more than 4,000 people that came to the Soldotna Creek Park celebration following the parade to enjoy the music of the Greatlanders Air Force while visiting over 50 vendor booths that displayed everything from native art to hair-painting. On Sunday at the City’s annual free community barbeque more than 800 hotdogs with chips and Coke were given away in less than 2-and-half hours, “That was record, we had a great group of volunteers as usual and the City was very pleased with the results this year. Everyone had a great time and the events were all a great success,” said Michelle Glaves, Soldotna Chamber executive director. “When we started the barbeque 11 years ago we gave out 100 hotdogs and they were still frozen when we started cooking them so it took all afternoon to give them away. Expanding the park has helped immensely but above all this event is to celebrate our community and it’s our community that is drawing the visitors as well as our natural surroundings,” said Kathy Dawson of the City of Soldotna.

When the results of the parade entry judges were tabulated the following were awarded 1st Place ribbons for their creative efforts: Grand Overall, The Dixie River Rats, Commercial Float, Pizza Boys, Commercial Entry, Dolifka Farms, Organizational Float Soldotna Senior Center, Organizational Entry, 4-H Club, Youth Marching Group, Pop Warner Football, Adult Marching Group, KDLL, Car Entry, Carroll Eby, Bicycle group entry, Cook Inlet Academy, Horse Single Rider, Osborne’s Mini’s, Horse Group Entry, Little Lohrke’s, Child Entry, River City Cheerleaders, Adult Entry, Larry Harvey- 1955 Ford Tractor, Church Entry, Apostolic Assembly, and Honorable Mention, Central Peninsula Health Center.

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