Live music will usher in this year's Memorial Day weekend, but there will be no Ole Oppe Fest.
“By the time we knew we could do it with COVID restrictions, there wasn’t time to put it all together,” said Tammy Justin, a board member of the Jaycees, which oversees the event. “It takes a full year to plan this.”
Normally the Memorial weekend festival includes a vendors fair, a wing ding competition, beer garden, and other events.
This year will be much simpler, with free music at Big Ole Park. At 7 p.m. Friday, May 28, 57 Chevy will perform, followed by Cimarron at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 29.
The Wrap Shack will have a food truck on hand, and organizers are hoping to sell water and pop from a tent. There will be a door prize drawing for gift certificates. The public is asked to bring a chair or blanket to sit on.
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“It’s going to have a feel like the concerts on the courthouse on Thursdays," Justin said. "That’s what we’re going for.”
So if you're a music lover, that means three consecutive days of live music in the downtown Alexandria area, with Schjei Country kicking off the Red Willow summer concert series at the courthouse on Thursday.
Monday will also feature Memorial Day events, including a parade starting at Big Ole at 10 a.m.
