HOISINGTON — Thursday night, gusty winds and rain blew into Hoisington on the eve before its 123rd annual Labor Day Weekend Celebration, and residents woke Friday morning to the aftermath: standing water, limbs blown from trees, and power outages (see related story). The City of Hoisington went to work. The Hoisington Police Department issued a Nixle alert, informing residents to report power outages and drag fallen limbs to the curb for city crews to pick up. They were joined by students from USD 435, and the spirit of community swelled.
City Manager Jonathan Mitchell turned to facebook to praise the community for its efforts.
“Our city staff went above and beyond, the school district sent students out to help, and our residents rallied to clean our community up,” he wrote.
Saturday morning, despite a soggy start, the Hoisington Activity Center was filled with families eager to explore the annual Touch-a-Truck exhibit, and take part in turtle races, crafts and more.
Children weren’t deterred in their eagerness to explore tractors, sprayers, ambulances, police cars, cranes and more. They raced ahead of parents carrying umbrellas or simply braving the light rain to take their turn climbing in and out of the vehicles.
Meanwhile, inside the activity center, major work was underway by between 50 and 60 boys and girls painting balsa-wood bird houses. Mitchell was there.
“This is the second year we’ve offered a craft at this event, and the kids really enjoy it,” he said. “What’s really neat is they have something they can take home with them that they’ve created with their own hands to remember the fun they’ve had today. And it’s free.”
Activities continue today and Monday in Hoisington. Sunday, the demolition derby at Bicentennial Park will start at 1 p.m. and continues until 5:30 p.m. Sunday evening, a street dance featuring the band Homebrew starts at 8 p.m. on Main Street, with the city auditorium one block east off Main Street at First reserved in case of rain. Finally, at 10 a.m. Monday morning, the 123rd annual Hoisington Labor Day Parade begins with a kids parade followed by the big event. Arrive early to find a spot on Main Street. The Wee Carnival will be open until 10 p.m. each night.
