Nokomis Homecoming is nearly here

NOKOMIS — The annual Nokomis Homecoming celebration is returning to Nokomis Memorial Park for another post-holiday weekend of good times, good friends, and good food for a good cause. For the kids, those good times include riding rides and playing games at the carnival.

Carnival rides

Premier Works Inc. of Marine will be providing ride and games entertainment this year. The carnival will open the weekend at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 8, closing at 11 p.m. The operating hours on Saturday, July 9 will be from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will run during the annual Homecoming parade. They will finish the weekend on Sunday, July 10, operating from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Advance tickets for rides are available at First National Bank of Nokomis and Nokomis Savings Bank until 3 p.m. on July 9. Presale tickets are $25 for 10 tickets. Ticket packets and individual tickets will also be available throughout the weekend.

Nokomis Homecoming beer tent

Adult beverages will be available in the Knights of Columbus beer tent, providing a place to catch up with old friends and make new friends as well. Patrons will be able to catch up, listen and dance to music, compete in the washers tournament on Sunday, or even stick around for the Homecoming fireworks finale.

Entertainment and vendors

The festivities kick off on the south stage at 6:30 p.m. with the annual royalty competitions for the cutest baby, Miss Nokomis, Junior Miss Nokomis, and Little Miss and Mister Nokomis.

Vendors of all varieties will also be on the park grounds all weekend with anything from food to jewelry and everything else in between.

Nokomis Homecoming parade

The popular Homecoming Parade kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, starting from Fred B. Johnson Memorial Park in downtown Nokomis and ending at Nokomis High School. Local businesses, organizations, and individuals, as well as those from the surrounding area, are also invited to join in the parade and compete for cash prizes. The parade lineup starts at 5 p.m.

Cruise-In Car Show

Another popular annual event, the Cruise-In Car Show, will be on Sunday as an opportunity for classic gearheads to meet, share stories, or even enjoy the vehicles on display. Also on Sunday will be the kids’ tractor pull.

Food options at Homecoming and around town

There will be plenty of food options available during Homecoming. They feature the likes of fish, burgers, tacos, burritos, and much more. The Nokomis Volunteer Fire District will also be cooking their popular chicken halves on Saturday as an ongoing fundraiser to update their equipment. Tickets go on sale as early as 9 a.m. on Saturday, with order pickup starting at 11 a.m. It is of high importance that you show up early to order, as the chicken sells out pretty fast.

If it isn’t quite the fare you were seeking, here are some other options relatively close to Nokomis:

• Subway: 410 E. State St. (hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
• Dairy Queen: 100 S. Oak St. (hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
• Demi’s Diner: 109 W. State St. (hours: 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Casey’s: 221 W. State St. (hours: 4 a.m. to 12 midnight)
• The Depot Pub: 590 N. 5th St., Coalton (kitchen open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
• Mac’s Diner: 245 Talmadge St., Witt (hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.)
• Town Pump Bowl: 100 W. Front St. (kitchen open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.)

Fireworks finale

The 166th annual Homecoming celebration concludes Sunday evening with a fireworks display, which is funded by a combination of local organizations, businesses, and individuals as well as the Nokomis Homecoming Association. Donations toward the fireworks fund can always be accepted at any time of the year at the First National Bank of Nokomis.

A full schedule of events will be available soon at local retailers, as well as on the Nokomis Homecoming Association Facebook page.

This article was previously published on Heartland Newsfeed – NewsBreak Exclusives on NewsBreak.

For more news, follow Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardJRN and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.

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Jake Leonard, Executive Editor-In-Chief

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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