Saturday, July 19, 2008

Lewisville Western Day festival features Eli Young Band and fourth annual World Tamale Eating Championship

By Pegasus News wire

LEWISVILLE — The city of Lewisville will present the popular Western Day festival Saturday, Sept. 27, in Old Town Lewisville. Headliner for this year’s event is the Eli Young Band, scheduled to perform at 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Other planned activities at the family event, designed to showcase Lewisville’s rich history, include a Main Street parade, two festival stages of live music, arts and crafts vendors, gunfight re-enactments, trick ropers, car show, Longhorn cattle drive, Tailwaggers Ranch and the fourth annual World Tamale Eating Championship.

Free shuttle parking will be available at Lewisville High School, 1098 W. Main Street from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Western Day activities (including children’s area, craft vendors, live music, and Western-style re-enactments and demonstrations) will start at 10 a.m. and end with the Eli Young Band concert. Other scheduled performers on the main stage include Derek Sholl at 2 p.m. and Casey Donahew at 4:30 p.m. Community stage performers will include Performing Artists Network and Excite! Dance & Cheer.

The World Tamale Eating Championship, an official International Federation of Competitive Eating event, will grant a $1,500 grand prize to the competitor who downs the most Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory tamales in 12 minutes. The event will start at 1 p.m. on the front steps of Lewisville City Hall. Last year’s event featured a world record of 71 tamales in 12 minutes consumed by two-time champion Tim Janus of New York, currently ranked fourth in the world by IFOCE.

The popular Western Day Parade will begin at 3 p.m. The one-mile parade route runs from Cowen Street east on Main Street to Mill Street, then south to DeLay Middle School. This year’s parade activities will include a Children’s Pet Parade. Individuals, church groups, animal rescue groups, businesses, non-profits and special interest groups may participate. Each pet parade entry will receive a free snack, drink and a souvenir pet parade button (while supplies last). Applications are available at this website

The 13th annual Lewisville Morning Rotary Club Car Truck & Cycle Show, open to all years and makes of vehicles, will be staged on Mill and Main streets throughout the day. Registration is 9 to 11 a.m., judging will be 11 a.m. - noon, and trophies will be awarded in four categories. Entry fee is $20 per vehicle ($10 with a valid student ID), with a discount for early registration before Sept. 1, and the first 75 entrants receive a dash plaque and other gifts. Proceeds benefit Christian Community Action, Adopt-a-School, Rotary Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and other community charities. For information, call (972) 436-6258 or visit this website.

Tailwaggers Ranch will return to Western Day, offering a variety of pet-related activities and vendors including displays and demonstrations from about a dozen animal rescue groups. Contests for pets and their owners will be scheduled throughout the day.

Concurrent with Western Day, the inaugural Big Bass Tour North Texas Classic will be held at Lewisville Lake on Sept. 27 - 28. Based at Lake Park, this popular event comes to Lewisville for the first time, offering amateur anglers the chance to compete for dozens of prizes while enjoying the waters of the official “Urban Bass Fishing Capital of Texas.” For event information, visit this website.

Sponsors for Western Day 2008 include City of Lewisville, Lewisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, EMC Mortgage and 99.5 The Wolf. Community supporters include Old Town Business Association, Old Town Preservation Society, Greater Lewisville Arts Council, Lewisville Morning Rotary Club and Lewisville High School.

For additional information and the latest on Western Day 2008, visit this website or call (972) 219-3401.

Source: city of Lewisville

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