MERIDIAN, Idaho — The 96th annual Meridian Dairy Days is fast approaching, scheduled to run from June 18-21. The annual event began in 1929 to celebrate the opening of the Meridian Creamery and has now turned into a family-friendly, multi-day event.
Most of the weekend's events are free to attend, while others, such as the Princess Pageant and 4H breakfast, require separate tickets.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 —
Meridian Dairy Days officially kicks off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18, with the Junior and Senior Princess Pageant at the Rustic Daisy Event Center. Separate tickets must be purchased to attend the Princess Pageant.
THURSDAY, JUNE 19 —
Thursday is the first full day of events, with main attractions including the Ice Cream Social from 5 to 7 p.m. (with free ice cream!) and the Chamber of Commerce cows, which will be at the Storey Park Corral starting at 4:30 p.m.
Music in Storey Park begins at 6:30 p.m., featuring the Half Fast Hillbillies, followed by a performance from Buddy DeVore and the Faded Cowboys from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
Additionally, the carnival, located in the Speedway parking lot, opens at 5 p.m. on Thursday and runs until 11 p.m. The carnival will also be open from 3 to 11 p.m. on Friday and noon to midnight on Saturday.
FRIDAY, JUNE 20 —
Friday kicks off at 7 a.m. with the 4-H Pancake Breakfast at Storey Park, featuring pancakes, sausage, coffee, and more — tickets are $10 per person, $5 for kids under 12.
The food vendors in the park will be open from noon to 10 p.m., while the rest of the vendors will open at 3 p.m. There will be more live music on Friday, with performances from Red Light Challenge, Casio Dreams, and Ballet Folklorico Yareth.
And on Friday night, at the Speedway, is the Dairy Days Demo Derby.
SATURDAY, JUNE 21 —
All of the vendors will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Additionally, the annual Real Dairy Days Parade, sponsored by Idaho News 6, will kick off at 11 a.m. at the corner of South Main Street and Franklin Road. (Keep an eye out for the Idaho News 6 float!)
There will also be free live music in the park all afternoon. In the evening, you can head over to the Speedway for the Dairy Day Races from 6 - 9 p.m., or continue to hang out in the park for more live music.
Finally, at around 9:45 p.m., or as soon as it starts to get dark, you can join in on the Dairy Balloon Launch and Glow.
For more details on the schedule of events, visit dairydays.org.
