Celebrate the Fourth of July in Dixon

By Brianna Boyd
Special to Dixon Patch

The Dixon community will celebrate the Fourth of July next month with a day devoted to families, patriotism and old fashion fun and games.

The members of the Friends of the Dixon May Fair have been planning their fourth annual Fourth of July event for months. The celebration will beat the fairgrounds from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and will include a demolition derby and fireworks in the evening and an afternoon full of activities for the entire family, with all proceeds benefiting community non-profit groups and clubs.

"Back in the day, there were a lot of things you would do on the Fourth of July, like sack races and egg toss and watermelon eating contests and we're bringing it all back," said Donnie Huffman, the president of the Friends of the Dixon May Fair, who promises the day will feature many "old-fashion" games people remember from when they were children. "It's just great. All the families are there and they are all supporting the youth programs. Everyone has a good time, and it's really heartwarming to see."

While there is a cost for tickets to the 6 p.m. demolition derby, admission into the May Fair grounds is free all day. Besides allowing visitors to enter the fairgrounds for free, the Friends of the Dixon May Fair is also covering all insurance, permit and security costs for the non-profits.

The groups can provide activities and sell food items, and keep every penny of their proceeds to give back to the community.

"It's the way that it used to be," Huffman exclaimed. "There's no
commercial vendors there, it's all youth groups and non-profits, and we don't charge them anything. They can keep everything they make, and all the money they raise goes towards their youth activities. It's a big community effort."

A number of non-profits, including the Dixon Rotary Club, Dixon Moose Lodge, Vacaville Elks Lodge and several youth groups, will offer free games and activities such as sack races, tricycle races, electric carts, balloon toss, a dunk tank, and a watermelon eating contest.

Dixon Youth Football and Cheer is organizing the antique car and motorcycle show for the fourth year in a row. Huffman said the group is expecting over 100 vehicles this year, and will use Madden Hall for a motorcycle display. Their car smash, which entertained adults and children alike for hours last year, will also return.

Live entertainment will be offered throughout the day, Huffman said. There are already several bands lined up to play, but others can still join and youth musicians are welcome to participate.

In addition to games and live entertainment, there will be food available at the fairgrounds all day. Non-profits are selling a variety of items, including ribs, tri-tip, tacos, soda and water.  The Friends of the Dixon May Fair will run their beer booth, which, along with the demolition derby tickets and parking expenses, brings in the group's only income for the day.

"We really don't make much money on this, we just want to make sure everyone has a good time," Huffman said. "The biggest reason we do this is because most places don't have this anymore. Where else can non-profits set up a booth and sell their goods and not have to worry about permits?"

As is tradition at this event, the first 1,000 people to enter the fairgrounds will receive a miniature American flag. Those flags, along with the many people wearing red, white and blue, add a special ambiance to the day.

"You look around and you walk around the fairgrounds on the Fourth of July, and you see all these kids with flags and they¹re so proud of them," Huffman said. "They're waving them and they walk up to you and say, 'Look what I got!' And then when you are at the derby and everyone is in the grandstand, and 90 percent of them are all waving their flags, it's really a sight to see.

"The American flag is really special," he added. "It's important for the children to understand what a special thing it is."

Demolition derby tickets are available for $15 general admission and $30 boxed seats, with a minimum of four boxed seats required per purchase.

Tickets are available at the May Fair box office. For more information on the Friends of the Dixon May Fair's Fourth of July celebration, contact Donnie Huffman at 448-0130.