HAYFIELD – The Hayfield Hey Days commemorative button is the most expensive of any community’s.

Thursday, July 13, 2000

HAYFIELD – The Hayfield Hey Days commemorative button is the most expensive of any community’s.

This year, the price has gone up a dollar to $5 and why not?

Hayfield residents will tell anyone, their celebration has more to offer and, therefore, is worth the price.

This year’s schedule includes everything from mud bogs races to a grand parade and fireworks to a fly-over by a vintage World War II bomber.

The weekend celebration begins tonight with the Miss Hey Days pageant.

Also today, the carnival opens.

Families will enjoy carnival rides and attractions in the near-downtown area, beginning at 5 p.m. today.

Then, 12 young women will compete for the title of Miss Hey Days in a pageant beginning 8 p.m. in the Hayfield High School gymnasium.

No other area pageant attracts more candidates than the Miss Hey Days pageant. While some communities may be proud to attract as many as 12 candidates, in Hayfield, that’s a low number of high school juniors wanting to representing their community.

Frequently, the numbers have been in the low 20s.

After the pageant and a new Miss Hey Days is crowned, there will be a teen dance until 11:30 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.

Then, the weekend’s celebration begins in earnest Friday.

Pee Wee baseball tournaments kick off the schedule at 8:30 a.m. Friday with the carnival resuming action at 5 p.m., as well as the beer garden and food concessions.

The Rochester Rough Riders mud bogs action begins at 6:30 p.m., and the first round of the weekend’s softball tournament starts at 7:30 p.m.

Friday’s schedule concludes with a street dance beginning at 9 p.m., featuring music by The Classics.

On Saturday, the Uff Da road races start at 7:30 a.m., followed by softball and volleyball tournaments at 8 a.m.

Throughout Saturday, there will be three-on-three basketball tournament action for hoopsters sponsored by the Hayfield High School boys varsity basketball team.

The Oaks will host its annual Hey Days golf tourney. Tee-off time is 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

A girls 16 and under softball tournament starts at 8 a.m., when the Southeast Minnesota Super Cars Car Show welcomes entrants.

There will be a garden tractor pull 9 a.m. to noon Saturday plus more sanctioned mud bogs action 1-4:30 p.m.

Then, the Saturday schedule concludes with music and dancing in the streets, featuring the Smokin’ Coyotes, 5-9 p.m., followed by the Dweebs until 1 a.m. Sunday.

The weekend celebration schedule concludes with softball and volleyball action starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, a community worship service at 11 a.m. sponsored by Cedar Creek Church in the downtown park and an antique tractor pull in the park at noon.

A kiddie parade will bring more people downtown at 1:30 p.m., followed by the grand parade with over 100 units at 2 p.m. through the greater downtown area.

This year’s special parade attraction is a fly-over from a World War II vintage B-25 Mitchell twin-engine bomber. The fly-over is sponsored by the Hayfield American Legion.

Following the parade, the BEAR Cat Hollow abused animals people will host "Pictures in the Park" featuring endangered species list animals.

Also, the Hayfield Volunteer Fire Department will host "water wars" at the new emergency services building.

When dusk arrives Sunday evening, a fireworks display over the community concludes the weekend’s family fun.