GREEN RIVER — The 23rd annual River Festival and the 19th annual Art on the Green are taking place Friday and Saturday, giving the community one last weekend of fun before the school year starts.
The River Festival, hosted by the Green River Chamber of Commerce, and Art on the Green, which is put on by the Green River Arts Council, are beloved community events offering great food, music, cars, and lots of art.
“It’s the last big event right before we end summer and the kids head back to school,” Green River Chamber Office Manager Jesica Hunter said. “It’s a free family friendly event, and there are so many things to do and see. It’s just all around a great time for the whole family.”
The River Festival
The River Festival begins Friday afternoon with the Cajun Shrimp Boil at 5 p.m., and again at 6 p.m. Tickets for the meals must be purchased in advance and there are 800 meals available. There will also be tickets available for a spaghetti dinner served by the Knights of Columbus as a fundraiser. Additionally, the “Beer Garden” will run Friday night and Saturday and there will be several food vendors.
There will also be several homemade and handmade craft vendors scattered throughout the Island and in Ever’s Park on both Friday and Saturday. Additionally, while festival-goers are walking around the area, they can check out the fish that community members and business’s decorated for the Flaunt your Fish competition. The winner of the competition will be announced Saturday at 2 p.m.
Local band NoWhere Fast will be performing Friday evening, starting at 5:30 p.m., and to close out the night there will be a fireworks display once it gets dark. There will also be two DJs this year on Saturday, with The Party Squad performing on the Island and Turn Up The Volume performing on Evers Park.
Also happening at Evers Park Saturday will be the Car Show, hosted by the Sweetwater Rodders. There will be numerous cars, trucks and motorcycles, vintage and new, to check out. There were 56 vehicles in last year’s show.
The Great Duck Race will take place at 12 p.m. on Saturday, which is a fundraiser for the Chamber. Community members purchase rubber ducks that are then released at once and travel downstream underneath the bridge that connects the street to Expedition Island. The people who bought the first three ducks to finish the race win cash prizes.
For all tickets, visit the Green River Chamber.
Run With The Horses Marathon
Saturday will start with the 21st annual Run with the Horses Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K. The races take place on the Wild Horse Loop Tour and begin and end at Expedition Island, with aid stations every two miles providing water, Powerade, and energy snacks. All races start at 7 a.m., and draw over a hundred participants annually. Hunter said there are currently 176 runners signed up for this year’s race, already topping last year’s record setting number of participants with 160 runners.
“Last year was our highest amount ever at 160 and we have no passed that,” she said.
As of Monday, there are 49 local participants from Green River and Rock Springs, 20 runners from other parts of Wyoming, 104 from other states, two from Canada, and one from the United Kingdom. For more information or to register, visit runwiththehorsesmarathon.com.
Art On The Green
The 24-hour live art competition is back, and this year there are 42 artists registered. Judy Roderick, Green River Arts Council member said 32 of the artists are from Sweetwater County, 6 are from other parts of Wyoming, and four are from out of state.
Professional, semi-professional, amateur and hobbyist, and high school artists will compete in 2D and 3D categories and will have from 11 a.m. on Friday through 11 a.m. on Saturday to start and complete their pieces. The public is welcome, as always, to walk around the Island Pavilion to watch as the artists create.
In addition to the competition, there will also be a kids creation corner providing a free opportunity for children to create art projects led by volunteers. This will be open Friday from 5-7 p.m. and again on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Battle on the Green will also return, giving artists a chance to face off in a showdown of creativity and speed in three 30-minute rounds. The battles will be taking place Friday between 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Roderick said the only difference this year compared to previous year’s is the silent auction is being replaced with an art sale with set prices in place of bidding.
