Lots of fun to be had this weekend on east end of Madison County
Grantfork Homecoming
The 68th annual Grantfork Homecoming, sponsored by the Grantfork Volunteer Fire Department, will be held on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 19 at 20, at the Grantfork Firemen’s Park.
There will be a parade both nights at 6:30 p.m., featuring the area’s largest children’s parade. The theme for this year’s parade is “Children’s Toys.”
There will be live bands both nights from 8 p.m. to midnight. On Friday, Buffalo Road will take the stage. On Saturday, Blacktop Boulevard will perform.
There will be lots of great food, including chicken, sandwiches, fish, homemade pies, cakes and ice cream.
There will be bingo and other games, as well as carnival rides by American Banner Rides. Single ride tickets can be purchased at the homecoming both nights. To purchase advance, discount tickets, contact any firefighter.
A softball tournament will also be held on Saturday and Sunday. Adam Vosholler is the chairman of the tournament.
BBQ festival in Marine
The Madison County Fair Association will hold its first-ever “Chillin’ and Grill’ for the Fair” barbecue festival and competition on Aug. 20 and 21 at the Marine City Park, located at 301 N. Duncan.
There will be about 25 teams competing for $4,000 in prize money. On Saturday evening, there will be a judging for “chef’s choice.” Judging will be done in four other categories — chicken, pork, ribs and brisket — on Sunday, starting at noon. Awards will be handed out at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The contest is sanctioned by the St. Louis BBQ Society and will use official society-trained judges.
Competing teams will also be selling their barbecue to the public, starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and sales will continue until they run out. BBQ sales will run on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a beer garden open on Saturday and Sunday during the festival.
The band Fantasy will be performing from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday. It will be their final concert as a group. Fantasy has played often at Fast Eddie’s Bon Air in Alton and many other area venues.
Marine PTO will also have a bounce house for children, and Deb Tracy will also be doing face painting.
There will be also chances at several raffles, including for a whole hog, processed, and a Weber Budweiser grill, and Yetti 45-quart cooler and a $100 MasterCard gift card.
There is still time to register a team for the BBQ competition. To register, call Pam Voegele at (618) 781-5337. Cost to enter the four-meat portion of the contest is $200; it’s an extra $25 to enter the chef’s choice.
Car show, mouse races set in Worden
Bring your classic hot rod, muscle car, rat rod or bike to Worden this weekend, as the village will present its second annual “Wheels on Wall Street” car show on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Registration will be from 2 to 4 p.m., with awards at 6 p.m. There will be dash plaques for the fist 50 entries. Cost is $15 to be entered in the judging, $10 to just display. There will be a Mayor’s Choice and People’s Choice presented.
All proceeds will benefit the Worden Patriot’s Day celebration, which is set for Sept. 17 and 18.
For more information, contact Jason at (618) 781-5373.
Following the car show, there also be mouse races at the Worden American Legion. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and races start at 7 p.m. There will also be a silent auction, 50-50 drawing and a cash bar. Proceeds from the mouse races will be put toward the fireworks display at Patriot’s Day.
This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Lots of fun to be had this weekend on east end of Madison County."