Marion's Swamp Fox Festival promises a weekend of family fun Sept. 14-16

A number of family-friendly events are scheduled as part of the annual celebration of Marion's heritage. The festivities get underway this Friday, Sept. 14 and run through Sunday, Sept. 16. Visit www.cityofmarion.org for the complete listing of events and a printable flyer.

FRIDAY

The Old Settlers Celebration will take place at Lowe Park beginning at 10:30 a.m. It is the traditional opening event of the festival for longtime Marion residents. Shannon Ramsey, founding president and CEO of Trees Forever, will be the featured presenter. Friday evening enjoy a picnic in City Square Park. The Marion High School Band will perform at 5:15 p.m. and local favorite Funk-Stop will take the stage at 6:00 p.m.

SATURDAY

Saturday starts with the Family Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. The Swamp Fox Festival 5K Run/Walk, sponsored by Farmers State Bank, will get underway at 8:00 a.m. Registration forms, a course map and full details are available at the CVRA website, http://www.cvra.net/races/swamp-fox.

Linn Cooperative Oil Company and Linn County REC are sponsoring this year's Swamp Fox Festival Parade which will start at 10:15 a.m. From the Marion High School parking lot the parade travels north on 15th Street, turns west on 7th Avenue, and continues to City Square Park.

A number of activities are planned in and around City Square Park on Saturday. Check out the craft fair, visit with or enjoy food from a variety of vendors, or set off on the History Trail. Live music, various demonstrations, and a Children's Fun Zone, sponsored by Heritage Bank, will provide hours of entertainment. The Children's Fun Zone will be set up on 6th Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets and will be open from 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

After a two hour break City Square Park will come alive again for the evening activities, which are sponsored by Veridian Credit Union. Bring lawn chairs and blankets and come enjoy dinner and an evening of musical entertainment. Huntington's will start serving food at 5:00 p.m. and the lively Cedar Island Band will close out the night with their island and tropical rock music starting at 6:00 p.m.

SUNDAY

The fun moves to Lowe Park on Sunday with a variety of activities for all ages. The Marion Arts Council Art Sale gets underway at 1:00 p.m., followed by story time with Darrin Crow, juggling workshops with Doug Sayers, and face painting by Lizzy Dvorsky. ISU Extension and Outreach Master Gardeners will be on hand providing tours, workshops and other activities. The Marion Fire Department's fire safety demonstration burn, originally scheduled for Saturday, will now take place on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. At 3:45 p.m. blues/funk guitarist, singer and songwriter Craig Erickson will perform.

Sunday's Picnic in the Park will get underway at 5:00 p.m. and classic rock group Silver Wings, will take the stage around 5:15 p.m. Don't miss the first fireworks display in Swamp Fox Festival history, thanks to the sponsorship support of Marion Hy-Vee, MidAmerican Energy, and Sheets Forrest Draper Insurance. They will light up the sky starting between 7:45 – 8:00 p.m. Prime viewing locations include Lowe Park or Oak Ridge School. Keep in mind, no alcohol or tobacco products are permitted on school property.

The Indian Creek Canoe Float, originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, has been cancelled due to low water levels.

Don't miss the 2012 celebration of Marion's past and present at the Swamp Fox Festival. Visit www.cityofmarion.org for the latest event information.

LOT/ROAD CLOSURES

As construction continues on 6th Avenue, patron safety is of utmost importance. Festival goers are reminded to obey traffic control signage and barricades. The following streets will be closed around City Square Park to ensure pedestrian safety.

Friday and Saturday: 11th Street closed from 6th Avenue to 5th Avenue

Saturday: 10th Street closed from 5th Avenue to 7th Avenue, 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

6th Avenue closed from 9th Street-10th Street, 6:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The west portion of the Marion Public Library lot will also be closed between 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on Saturday to accommodate 5K walk/run activities. The library will open at 9:30 a.m.

Ongoing: 6th Avenue closed from 10th Street – 12th Street, Central Corridor project

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