Portales kicks off its summer June 14-15 at City Park with the 35th Annual Heritage Days celebration. The event pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of the area, which was settled by cattlemen in the late 1800s, then by farmers in the early 20th century.

The event officially gets under way on Friday, June 14 with the Heritage Days Street Dance in the Memorial Building parking lot. Some of the festival’s food vendors will open at 6 p.m. and then the dance, with music from The Blackwater Band runs from 7-10 p.m.

On Saturday, June 15, the day starts out downtown with the 19th Annual Heritage Days FunRun. The 5K run/walk and 10K runs are sponsored by Portales MainStreet and funds are used for its downtown projects. Registration begins at 7 a.m. in front of the Historic Yam Theater and the race starts at 7:30 a.m. For more information contact Curt Jaynes at 356-8773.

Meanwhile at City Park, the Heritage Days Car Show gets lined up for a 9 a.m. start. Entries are $20 and include a dash plaque with a photo of the owner’s car on it. Door prizes will be given
out to contestants throughout the day. Registration starts at 8 a.m. at the south end of City Park.

The big feature of Heritage Days is always the parade. It begins at 10 a.m. on the Eastern New Mexico University campus near the corner of Second Street (U.S. 70) and Avenue O. It then proceeds east on Second Street to Abilene and heads south on Abilene to City Park. Parade entries are accepted right up until parade lineup time at 9:15 a.m. All organizations, individuals and businesses are welcome to participate. There is no registration fee and no set theme. This year’s parade will be led by Pioneers of the Year Gene Marshall and Ruth Burns as Grand Marshals. Numerous reunion floats as well as non-profit and business entries are expected. Lots of candy for kids of all ages is a certainty. Once the excitement of the parade ends up at the park, several musical acts take center stage.

Last year, Heritage Days revamped its music stage, offering a variety of different types of music now along with professional sound and bleacher seating.

The first act of the day starts off at 11 a.m. with traditional country and western music by the Jake Howard Memorial Band. Jake’s friends assure that his legacy of playing for local dances for decades lives on at Heritage Days this year. At 12:30 p.m., Quay County cowboy poet Jimmy Joe Jester will tickle crowds with his own verse. At 1 p.m. Michael Thompson will hit the stage with a mixture of country music. The Fusion World Dance group will liven things up at 2:30 with a variety of dance styles. At 2:45 Colton Stevens and Travis Irwin mix things up with some folk, blues and rock. Booths with a variety of merchandise and offers will fill the Memorial Building and be spread throughout the park.

Food booths will offer everything from barbecue to Navajo Tacos and snow cones.

The Chamber is currently raising funds for the Portales Fireworks fund. Donations of $20 or more during Heritage Days will receive a free Heritage Days cap. Stop by the Information Booth in the center of the park.

Heritage Days is made possible by stage sponsors J. P. Stone Community Bank, Alta Terra, Xcel Energy and Wells Fargo. The car show sponsor is C&S, Inc., while the parade is sponsored by New Mexico Bank & Trust. Yucca is the sponsor of the Pioneer activities.

The Chamber is accepting outdoor vendor applications up until 5 p.m. Thursday, June 13 as well as parade and car show entries at the Chamber office at 100 S. Ave A or online at portales.com.

There is no admission charge at the park. For more information call (575) 356-8541.