Three Island celebration is this weekend

Activities will be held in Glenns Ferry and at the state park.

The community of Glenns Ferry will celebrate Three Island Days this Friday through Sunday.

This year's celebration will include a variety of activities, from raft races to lawnmower races, a vintage car show, wagon rides, mountain man competitions, an ice cream social and other events.

Starting on Thursday, Aug. 12, is the Fun Jail Lock up. For a fee, friends, family members or foes can have anyone they wish sent to jail. The incarcerated must pay an equal amount to get out. It is a "fun jail," stressed Three Island Days Organization (TIDO) member Dave Eiguren. "When you go in we want you laughin' and when you get out we want you laughin'," he explained. Eiguren suggests that citizens carry lots of money around with them during the event, which continues through the end of the Three Island Day Celebration.

Friday's activities will be held downtown and include a quilt show, chili/tamale cookoff, ice cream social, street dance, book signing and food and craft vendors.

Traci Stewart is in charge of the Chili/Tamale cook-off this year. Set-up begins at 4 p.m. with judging taking place at 5 p.m. Anyone interested in participating should call Stewart in advance at 366-9976. The food does not need to be cooked on site. People will be allowed to sample the chili and tamales following judging. Samples can be tasted by purchasing an empty bowl for $2.

A quilt show at Three Island Quilts will run Friday through Sunday. The quilts will be on display from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. on Sunday at Three Island Quilts, located on the corner of First Avenue and Commercial Avenue. Quilters are invited to display their quilts and/or antique quilts. The deadline to submit a quilt is 5 p.m., today, Aug.10. There is no entry fee. For additional information, call Three Island Quilts at 366-3031.

Saturday morning starts with a free pancake and sausage breakfast under the clock at the corner of Commercial Avenue and 1st Avenue. The breakfast is hosted by the Glenns Ferry Chamber of Commerce Revitalization Committee.

At 10 a.m., a time trial bike race will leave from the Elmore County fairgrounds. Some of the top cyclists in southern Idaho will participate. The race is expected to finish at 2 p.m.

Also starting at 10 a.m. is the annual Three Island Days parade from the fairgrounds to Three Island Crossing State Park. Line-up begins at 9 a.m. Anyone is welcome to participate.

Saturday features a 7.25-mile slow-water raft race from King Hill to Glenns Ferry. Participants are invited to bring their homemade raft or commercially manufactured kayak, canoe, rubber raft, or any other non-motorized craft to race from the King Hill boat dock to the Eddy Bostic Boat Dock in Glenns Ferry. Participants must be at least 16 years old and wear a personal flotation device. More than one person per craft is allowable as long as it does not exceed the manufacturer's safety standard.

The race begins at the King Hill boat dock at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. An entry fee of $15 per person also pays for entry into the state park for Saturday's activities.

For additional information, or to register for the event, call K.C. Duerig at 366-2519. A registration form also is available by logging onto: http://threeislanddays.org and follow the link for the "Slow Water Raft Race," or send an email to webmaster@threeilsanddays.org. Registration the day of the race will begin at 6:30 a.m. at the King Hill boat dock.

Also taking place on Saturday is live music, a strongman competition and performances by the EhCapa Bareback Riders, Charros Mexican Cowboys, Folkloric Dancers and Summerwind Skippers.

The strongman competition will be held behind World Wide Equine (located on First Avenue) beginning at 5 p.m.

During that competition individuals will be compete in several events including weight carrying (two milk cans weighing 100 lbs. each for a predetermined distance), a stone throw (similar to a shot put), stone loading (2,000 pounds total), weighted barrel loading, a weight pull and an axle lift.

Strongman competition organizer Ralph Jones said all of the contests depict everyday occurrences on the Oregon Trail. Prizes will be awarded to best in each event and best overall.

For more information, or to pre-register, call Jones at 338-1086. Registration also will be accepted on the day of the event. There is no cost to participate.

Members of Sisters on the Fly will offer vintage trailer tours and mountain men will share their skills at tomahawk and knife throwing.

Gold panning, a popular activity during last year's celebration, will let visitors sift for gold. Any gold they find is their's to keep. Horse-drawn wagon rides around the state park also will be offered.

On Saturday, food and craft vendors will set up at the park and be open until the conclusion of the celebration. Jean Allen is in charge of craft vendors and has set today, Aug. 10, as the deadline for registration. The fee is $20 for the weekend regardless of where and how many times a craft vendor sets up. Contact Allen at 366-2354 for details.

Self-guided tours will be offered by the Historic Opera Theatre, Glenns Ferry Historical Museum, Equine Dentistry Museum and the Oregon Trail History and Education Center.

Sunday's activities begin at 10 a.m. with a community church service at the state park. Also beginning at 10 a.m. is a car show at the fairgrounds. Running concurrently with the car show are lawnmower races. The races will be held from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. at the rodeo grounds. The lawnmower races will feature riding mowers that have been modified specifically for racing. Car enthusiasts from across Southern Idaho are invited to bring their hot rods, classic cars and trucks, muscle cars, vintage autos and motorcycles to be displayed. There is no fee to participate and trophies and prizes will be awarded to winners. Ralph Winterbottom, chairperson for the Three Island Days Celebration, says he expects 100 vehicles to be on display at the car show.

An admission charge of $2 per person permits access to both the car show and lawnmower races.

"We're trying to be family oriented in different things and that's where we're headed," said Dale Smith, president of the Three Island Days Organization. "Friday, we are stressing downtown and trying to get the downtown people involved."

Attracting people to the downtown area is something that began last year. In the years when the Three Island Crossing re-enactment took place, all activities were held at the state park. The TIDO is trying to get more people into the core downtown area in hopes of boosting business, and highlighting some of the town's charm.

For additional information about this year's Three Island Days Celebration, and for updated information about activities, log onto: http://threeislanddays.org.