Miss Henning, Little Miss Henning to follow the parade on Friday night

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Fresh off the busy Fourth of July weekend, Henning area residents will once again be gearing up for a busy few days as the annual Henning Festival celebration comes to town.

The event will once again kick off on Thursday night with the historic walking tour led by Chris Schuelke of the Otter Tail County Historical Society. The tour will begin at the Landmark Center in Henning and will cost $7 per person to attend. There will be a shuttle available for those in need and who do not wish to walk along the tour through the downtown area.

Photo by Chad Koenen
The annual Tri-County Cruisers car show is set for Sunday at Amundson Park in Henning. The car show attracts well over 100 vehicles each year.

On Friday the annual parade and kiddie parade will get underway at 6 p.m. The line up for the kiddie parade will be held at the city park at 5:45 p.m. and will lead the big parade through the downtown Henning area.

After a one year hiatus due to a lack of contestants, the Henning Festival Pageant will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Henning Festival pageant stage in the fairgrounds. The Miss Henning pageant will feature four contestants including: Emma Bahnson, who is the daughter of Allen Bahnson; Kendra Juvrud, who is the daughter of Brian Juvrud and Alicia Eckhoff; Lila Thorson, who is the daughter of Matt and Brooke Thorson; and Tiffany Weber, who is the daughter of Darren and Eileen Weber. 

The Little Miss Henning Pageant will be held at the same time and includes contestants: Payson Martinson, Nivea Barten, Lucy Torgerson, Evie Thorson, Kennedy Lutgens and Annabelle Jacobs. 

On Saturday there will be activities from sun up to well after the sun goes down with the annual Henning Festival run/walk kicking off at 8 a.m. The softball tournament and Henning Lions breakfast at the event center will also get underway at 8 a.m. 

A new event, the co-ed volleyball tournament at Amundson Park will begin at 9 a.m. and the Quilt Extravaganza will be held at the Trinity Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The afternoon will feature a number of classic Henning Festival events, including a dunk tank from 12-3 p.m., inflatable rides from 12-4 p.m., the kids bean bag tournament at 1 p.m. and the adult bean bag tournament at 2 p.m.

One of the most popular events throughout the weekend will kick off a busy night in Henning as the demolition derby will get underway at 6 p.m. 

Following the demo derby at 9 p.m. national touring band, 32 Below, will take the stage near the Henning Event Center to put on a show. Fireworks will bring the night to a banging end at 10 p.m.

The annual Henning Festival weekend will come to a close on Sunday with the Quilt Extravaganza at the Trinity Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., while Henning HOPE will host a new kickball tournament at 11 a.m. Proceeds from the kickball tournament will benefit the Henning HOPE scholarship program.

The busy weekend will come to an end on Sunday with one of the largest car shows in the area at Amundson Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The car show is sponsored by the Tri-County Cruisers and will include oldies music, a parts board and lunch served by the Henning Lions Club.