Hamlet Festival Planned for August
Writer / Lois Tomaszewski
Photography Provided
What happens when you take history, and add small-town atmosphere and community pride? You get the Yellowstone Trail Fest in Hamlet.
Hamlet has the historic distinction of being the only town in Starke County through which the historic Yellowstone Trail directly led. The population of Hamlet is estimated at about 800 people, but every summer that population expands thanks to the efforts of the volunteer Yellowstone Trail Fest board of directors.
“It brings the community together and offers a fun way to educate the younger generation on the history of the trail,” says board member Juanita Ketcham, acting as spokesperson for the festival board.
The Yellowstone Trail was constructed in 1912 as one of the first transcontinental roadways in the United States. The destination of the road was the newly organized Yellowstone National Park. The impetus for the trail was the desire by South Dakota businessmen to bring people to the park from the east, especially through Ipswich, South Dakota. Planning that direct route brought it through northern Indiana and right through the center of Hamlet. It remained a direct route until the 1930s.
According to the festival’s history as provided by the board, the current festival is the second festival to celebrate the town’s heritage and community. The first one came about in 1976 by a Dr. Leinbach, who was inspired by the blooms in his zucchini patch to suggest a festival be held near his birthday, on the third weekend of August.
Resident Marilyn Goodrich revived the festival in 2008. A committee was formed and organized as a nonprofit in 2015. Partnering with the annual Hamlet Rendezvous organized by Hester’s Farm, a living history event that has been ongoing for 35 years, the Yellowstone Trail Fest continues to bring in locals and out-of-town visitors for some hometown fun. The rendezvous area was one of the designated campsites along the original Yellowstone Trail, according to the Indiana Bicentennial Commission website.
The original version of the Yellowstone Trail Fest “was mostly an opportunity for the rendezvous to gather and vendors to sell items,” Ketcham says. “It only took up about a tenth of the size of the current layout.”
Today visitors to the festival can enjoy a parade, a huge car show organized by Dave Pearson, a repurposed metal sculpture contest, and a skillet toss, in addition to music and vendors. The Oregon-Davis girls golf team organizes an escape-room experience each year too. It wouldn’t be the same without the fireworks display sponsored by Larry Jernas, the Town of Hamlet and business supporters, Ketcham adds.
This year’s theme is “Back to the Future,” with the festival incorporating as much as possible from the movie. Thanks to the support of the business community, Ketcham says all events are free.
“We will have a DeLorean there, hopefully with the flux time machine,” Ketcham says. “A huge clock will be put up on a peak, and skits using a combination of a scene from one of the movies and some history of the trail thrown in there are planned.”
Plans continue to develop ahead of the August 20 and 21 event dates. The festival will be held at the fairgrounds, located about two blocks off of the historic trail.
New additions this year are TV game shows, Whip Guy demonstrations and laser tag, which will replace the inflatables. Cooling stations will also be added to the grounds this year.
The festival is more than just a fun summertime community activity. It is also used as a fundraiser for local organizations such as Bikes for Kids, the Oregon-Davis FFA group, and local small businesses that exhibit and sell their wares that weekend.
Ketcham explains what to expect for first-time attendees. 
“The size is perfect,” she says. “It is very family oriented with lots of personal touches and real bathrooms,” she says.
Follow the bright yellow Yellowstone Trail Fest signs to find the way to the fairgrounds. The Hamlet organization offers trail marker signs for the Indiana counties through which the trail originally crossed, with the hopes that the signs can help travelers find their way along that original route. A map is available at yellowstonetrail.org.
Volunteers are always appreciated during the festival and throughout the year. Festival T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies are also offered this year to make up for some loss of funding from the cancellation of annual fundraising activities due to COVID. Ketcham says an order form is available on the festival’s Facebook page or at Back to Basics Organics in the Knox mall.
To find out more about the festival, visit yellowstonetrailfest.com.
