Warm weather, fair games mark 66th Progress Days
Published 9:30 pm Friday, July 21, 2023
Soldotna celebrated the 66th Annual Progress Days this weekend with expanded festivities — the traditional parade supplemented with a fair, rides and contests at Soldotna Creek Park.
The parade, which ran Saturday morning, featured a variety of public figures, performers and businesses. Public entities like Central Emergency Services were represented, as well as performing groups Forever Dance and Treefort Theatre. The Weenies on Parade returned, dozens of dachshunds putting paws to pavement.
At the park, a variety of performances were scheduled for the main stage, including music, contests and a magic show.
On Friday and Saturday, hundreds filled the space under clear blue skies. Kids could be seen participating in fair games, swinging hammers in contests of strength, or desperately clinging to a wildly bucking mechanical salmon — in the vein of a mechanical bull.
The first contest of the event, Friday’s diaper derby, was won by 8-month-old Flynn Byler, who crawled to the finish line with a big smile. The Kenai Performers hosted a cosplay competition, awarding prizes in a variety of categories to contestants dressed as video game characters, superheroes, fantasy monsters and Disney icons. Wyatt Denna claimed top prize for his original character inspired by “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.” Denna was entirely concealed under black clothes and armor plating, topped off with a helmet, despite temperatures of over 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hot Mess will play from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday night, with a beer garden open. A beard and mustache contest will be held Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by a parent and child look-alike contest at 1:30 p.m. and a cherry pie-eating contest at 2 p.m. Robbie the Magician will perform Sunday evening at 3 p.m. Registration for the contests is available on-site by the main stage. The fair is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/peninsulaclarion.
