KEVIN MULLETT

HARLAN — The 76th annual Harlan Days is scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in Community Park. The fun includes some new events with some favorites returning. The festival is the primary fundraiser for the Harlan Community Park Association.

The fun begins at 5 p.m. Aug. 3 when the midway rides open. An official opening ceremony is an hour later and just five minutes after that the bingo tent opens, the youth parade starts, a coed softball tourney begins and the pickleball tournament gets underway. At 7 p.m. live music will begin in the Moonlight Theater featuring Whoa, Man and at 7:30 p.m. the Harlan Bump and Run will be held in the arena.

On Aug. 4 the midway will reopen at 5 p.m., along with registration and practice for KOI drag racing and the start of a hockey tournament. According to Andrew Collins, the deck/street hockey event is returning after a three-year hiatus. Teams will be broken into four age groups with 8 to 13, 14 to 16, 17 to 21 and 21 and older. Competition will be on the tennis courts and a game will consist of three 10-minute periods. Participants will be in shoes, not skates.

At 6 p.m. Aug. 4, the Fort Wayne Obedience & Training Club will present Meet the Breeds at 6 p.m. A coed softball tournament and the cornhole singles tournament will also start at 6 p.m. Bingo participants will start marking their cards at 6 p.m., as well. Fansler Kid will headline the evening’s live music in the Moonlight Theater starting at 7 p.m.

KOI drag racing is back at Harlan Days with a dozen categories of vehicles. Action starts at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 with children racing four-wheel ATVs on the dirt track. Other events will feature diesels, quads, gas, dirt bikes, two-wheel drive, modified, four-wheel drive, open, buggies, SXS and semis.

Activity will get off to an early start Aug. 5 with a pancake breakfast starting at 7 a.m. The Harlan Hustle 5K run will also begin then. At 10 a.m. the Grand Parade with Komets hockey mascot Icy D. Eagle as grand marshal will head down Spencerville Road from the Community Center parking lot toward S.R. 37.

Following the parade at Community Park, carnival rides will reopen and the cornhole doubles tournament will get underway. Bingo tent opens at noon and play will continue to 4 p.m. After a two-hour break, it will reopen at 6 p.m. At around 1:30 p.m. the Allen County Sheriff’s Department will conduct a K9 demonstration.

Kiddie tractor pull is at 2 p.m. and the cruise-in car show will open at 4 p.m. Coed volleyball play will begin at 6 p.m., and City Lights will start performing their special brand of music at 7 p.m. in the Moonlight Theater.

Demolition Derby Soccer is back and chasing the big 8-foot-diameter soccer ball around the arena. The starting horn will blow at 7:30 p.m.

Lucky winners in the Harlan Days Raffle will be drawn at 10 p.m. For events and times, check out Harlan Days on the internet.