The Minonk Fourth of July Committee voted to incorporate Minonk's sesquicentennial with
its annual Fourth of July celebration. The committee decided to separate the Fourth of July
celebration into two different time periods. The Fourth of July parade and fireworks will
continue to be held on July 4. However, the other parts of the celebration such as the
beer tent, car show, and carnival will be held on
June 12 and 13 and include Minonk's sesquicentennial at that time.
Committee member Russell Ruestman said that July 4th is usually the hottest time of the year and
it has diminished attendance considerably at both the carnival and the beer tent. Committee Chairperson
Cathy McKay said that is very hard to get a good, reliable carnival during the Fourth of July. These
reasons caused the committee to move part of the celebration to another more favorable time period. The second
weekend of June will become the permanent time slot for a Minonk celebration. This year's celebration
on June 12 and 13 will celebrates Minonk's sesquicentennial. Future years celebration will be referred to as Minonk Fest
with different themes adopted each year. The second weekend of June was selected because it was felt that it might
avoid the heat normally associated with the Fourth of July celebration. Also, it gets a jump on the community
celebrations that are held throughout the summer and fall.
Chairman Cathy McKay said that the Fourth of July celebration on July 4 will consist of the parade at 1:00 p.m., the music show
at Sutton's Park from 6-9:30, and the fireworks will be set off at 9:30. The carnival, car show, and beer tent will
be held on June 12 and 13 in conjunction with the sesquicentennial celebration.
A meeting to make plans for the sesquicentennial will be held on Tuesday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall to
discuss plans for the sesquicentennial. New committee members are Bob and Kathy Jackson, Jack Jochums, Jari Lynn
Oncken and Nancy Reiter. Anyone who is interested in being on the sesquicentennial committee is invited to
attend the meeting. Cathy McKay as Chairperson of the Fourth of July Committee, will also chair the
sesquicentennial committee. To avoid confusion, this year's Fourth of July committee will be referred to
as the Sesquicentennial committee. Events for the sesquicentennial will be determined and fund raising ideas will be discussed at
the meeting. Creating a sesquicentennial calendar and T-shirts are being discussed as fund raisers.
The committee will meet again on December 3 to coordinate the activities of the celebration. Fund
raising for the sesquicentennial celebration will be combined with that of the Fourth of July celebration.
