This week brings celebrations of 243 years of American independence and 150 years of Perry existence, as the Fourth of July national holiday is followed directly by the Perry Sesquicentennial Celebrations July 5-7.
Dino the Sinclair dinosaur, got up for the holidays as the mythical Uncle Sam, will reminisce about the olden times prior to extinction and the evolution of homo sapiens, and Perry residents will have tons of fun at the many planned activities, sponsored by the city of Perry and the Perry Chamber of Commerce.
Like many local civic organizations, the members of the Society of Retired Experts (SORE) coffee group, many of whose lives comprise more than half the length of time since Perry’s founding in 1869 and all of whom have contributed positively to the life of Perry in the last 50 years, were not slow to respond to the call of service in supporting the Chamber of Commerce fundraising activities, buying and sporting t-shirts in advance of the celebrations.
Planned activities in the three-day, rails-to-trails-themed event include:
Friday, July 5
- Community Day of Service
- Volunteer Picnic
- “Tracking Perry’s Railroader Heritage” Exhibit
- Airplane Rides (Scenic and Thrill) at Walter Aviation Inc.
- Fly-in/Drive-in Concert with The Jesters and Adam Bruce
Saturday, July 6
History Programs
- Downtown Public Art Walking Tour ​with Jenny Eklund
- “Remembering Railroading” with David Willis
- “Voices From The Past” Wall of Witnesses Dramatization
- “Historic Downtown Fires” Walking Tour with Brian Eiteman
Community Activities
- Sesquicentennial Penny-farthing 15.0 Bike Ride
- Sesquicentennial Street Fair
- Guided Tours of Carnegie Library Museum
- Where in Perry? Scavenger Hunt
- Bubble-Gum-Blowing Contest and Pie-Eating Contest
- Face Painting, Balloon Twisting, Bubbles, Buzz and Woody
- Old-Style Games
- Pickle Ball Demonstrations
- Run Through Time 5K Run or Walk
Musical Performances
- The Okee Dokee Brothers in Perry
- Railroad Street Music Festival featuring the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Porter Union, Vinyl Vagabonds, and Rescue Dogs
Sunday, July 7
- Community Breakfast at Elks Lodge #407
- “150 Years of Faithfulness” Church Tour and Prayer Service
- Community Prayer Service
The Perry Sesquicentennial Celebrations sponsors include:
Golden Spike
City of Perry, Iowa, Perry Chamber of Commerce, Bolton and Menk Inc., Raccoon Valley Radio
Hiawatha
Perry Economic Development, Hotel Pattee, Osmundson Mfg. Co., Perry Public Library, Raccoon Valley Bank, Jacobsen Holz Corporation
Caboose
Walter Aviation Inc., Art On the Prairie, Dallas County Hospital and Family Medicine Clinics, The Perry Chief, Percival Scientific, Tyson Foods, Stine Seed Company
Conductor
Backwards Boutique, The Perry News, Perry Lions Club, ITC Midwest, Casey’s General Store, Mayor John Andorf and Linda Andorf, Perry Fire Association
Switch Tender
Bernie Lowe and Associates, Perry Rotary Club, Hulgan Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, & Electrical, Van Wall Equipment
Passenger
Mary Rose Collection, Dirk Cavanaugh, Optimist Club of Perry, The Family Credit Union, Wiese Industries, Butler Appraisal
