ARLINGTON This is a re-launch or a brand-new Arlington Area Chamber of Commerce putting on the event, noted Andy Brown, AACOC treasurer. The referenced event is Arlington Days-Hometown Roots-2025.
For past Arlington Days, the Chamber has been the one that promotes and puts on the event, Brown explained. The Chamber has always had good long-term volunteers. Last year the majority of our volunteers had gotten to an age where they wanted to pass the torch on.
He added that while hes a lifelong Arlington resident, this marks the first time hes been a volunteer for the annual summer celebration.
What the Chamber does is we just put pieces together and we have a lot of volunteers that have helped in the past and they are still helping, Brown said. Its just a new board of directors. All we do is coordinate with the volunteers and try to get the word out. Were just trying some new things and marketing in trying to get the word out and broaden the appeal and bring more people into Arlington.
While Arlington Days 2025 runs from Aug. 1 through Aug. 3, it’s Aug. 2 that is being billed as Main Day. That being said, there are a multitude of events that overall will appeal to all ages and all interests. Check out www.arlingtondays.com for a complete list of all events, registration forms (e.g., for the tractor show, parade floats, and vendor booths; or tickets). Friday has five events; Saturday has 22; Sunday has four.
Over the course of those days, the celebration planners and doers promise Something for Everyone, to include family fun, competition, live shows and Crazy Days.
We do see the biggest crowds on Saturday, but I wouldnt want to leave out Friday or Sunday as well, Brown explained. It is a three-day event. The Chamber again, we just coordinate and put the pieces together. But its really our members that each say, This is my event. Im the one sponsoring it, putting the money behind it. This is a community-wide effort and almost every event listed is going to say what organization or who is doing the sponsoring.
The celebration gets going at 11 a.m. Friday with free hot dogs, chips and soda at an open house at Cenex/Handi-Mart. The day ends with karaoke from 8 p.m. to midnight at Schmidtys Bar and Grill.
Welcome back, AHS alumni
One of the driving factors of the roots theme is this being an all-school reunion year, the first since 2015. Brown explained that every five years should be such a year, but the one scheduled for 2020 was derailed another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic so those Arlington school graduates of the past 10 years are invited back home to their roots. Apologies to Thomas Wolfe, but the 2025 theme suggests You can go home again.
Friday afternoon comes the first graduate get-together, at 4 p.m. at the AHS Gym for the Arlington Alumni Basketball Tournament.
Ditto the roots theme for Saturdays parade at 1 p.m., arguably one of the draws that makes it the Main Day of the weekend. Following the parade, the graduates gather again from 2 to 5 p.m. for Arlington Alumni All-School Reunion at the Park Pavilion. Its being billed as an invitation to: Come home, reconnect, and reminisce enjoy live music by AHS alum Curt Henrys Highway Call Band!
Meanwhile a first-time ever event is also underway from 2 to 5 p.m.: a Tractor Show n Shine, from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The 1481 Grill is giving a free prime rib dinner to anyone who just enters. The winner gets free prime dinner for a year, which 1481 values at $2,500.
Come 5 p.m. and going to the end of the day, is another first-time ever event: its time to roll out Crazy Days: Brown called it one of the biggest new events the Chamber took. As a Chamber we have members and a lot of our members pay us dues. Thats the biggest thing that we wanted to do to Arlington Days is really especially return some traffic from advertising back to our members.
Our Main Street during Crazy Days is going to be shut down and our local restaurants will have some deals, Brown explained. All our retail storefronts are going to be doing some specials and some deals.
Along with these goings-on there will be a live DJ playing family-friendly music, reacting with the crowd. These happenings will transition to Bob Smileys comedy show from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the Main Street stage. Its a free event stand or bring your own chair. However, for $15 the Chamber will get you a chair and seat you upfront and close to the action. Those dollars will be used to support the Chambers advertising efforts.
While just about every South Dakota small-town celebration ends with a street dance, Arlington Days wont. Come 10 p.m. the day will wind down and end with a Patio Party at the Cardinal Tap back porch. Its closest to a street dance without calling it a street dance, Brown said.
Consider Sunday a relax-and-slow-down day. At 10 a.m. theres a community church service in City Park. A follow-up to that is a community picnic, also in the park; its free but free-will offerings will be welcome.
From 1 to 5 p.m. folks can cool off with a free open swim at the city pool and an open house visit to the Arlington Museum on Main Street.
Note: the above events are just some of the many that are planned for what looks to be an annual Arlington Days that will be long remembered. Visit www.arlingtondays.com for a complete listing of all the goings-on.
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
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