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Kokomo residents and people from across Indiana and other nearby states are excited about the next Haynes Apperson Festival, set for July 1-3, 2021.
Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman says the annual fair has a rich tradition.
“The Festival was started in 1976,” Wyman says. “It was started by the Pioneer Auto Club to celebrate our Communities Automotive Heritage. It’s Kokomo’s claim to fame. We do the Festival on a July 4 weekend to commemorate the test drive of America’s first car, right here in Kokomo, Indiana, on Pumpkinvine Pike, on July 4, 1894.”
Wyman noted that people can’t wait for this year’s festival.
“It’s an action-packed weekend,” he says. “It’s three days of a lot of fun. We have a lot of car shows to honor Kokomo’s automotive heritage.”
The car shows feature cars from the early 1900s, all the way through cars from today.
There is also a fun commemorative 5K run, and a cruise-in.
“The residents of Kokomo also line the streets of the city for the annual parade at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 3, that goes through downtown Kokomo,” Wyman says. “Everyone loves it. People are especially excited about it this year.”
The parade celebrates both the United States’ independence, and the city’s automotive heritage.
Wyman says festival attendees this year can once again expect great, high-quality entertainment.
“We will have live entertainment on the stage every night, as well as some really fun rides, great food vendors, and a sports festival,” he says.
The sports festival includes basketball, karate, canoeing, tennis, volleyball, the 5K run, pole vaulting, a corn hole tournament and more.
“There really is a lot of fun things to do for the whole family,” he says. “We have a lot of people who come back every year, because they had a lot of fun the previous years at the festival.”
The live music this year will also garner a lot of festival goers.
“On Thursday, July 1, Sister Hazel will perform,” Wyman says. “On Friday, July 2, we will have Here Come the Mummies, and on Saturday, July 3, we will have Three Dog Night. That’s a great line up.”
The festival will close with fireworks. If the weather permits, the fireworks will start immediately following the concert on Saturday evening in Foster Park. Festival goers should feel free to bring a chair or blanket to enjoy the fireworks show.
Wyman says the future for the festival is very bright.
“It grows each year with the quality of entertainment we bring in,” he says. “We have had Bret Michaels, Loverboy, Starship, and Boyz II Men, to name a few of the past concert performers. We have about 10,000 to 15,000 people that attend every year from Indiana, to surrounding states.”
Wyman emphasizes that the festival is free. “We do sell some VIP tickets for seating close to the stage,” Wyman says.
The Haynes Apperson Festival is set for July 1-3 in and around Foster Park in Kokomo. For VIP tickets, call The Wyman Group at 765-854-1234 or Palmer Jewelry at 765-452-2505. For more information, visit www.Haynesappersonfestival.org or the festival’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/haynesappersonfestivalofficialpage.
