By Mary Owen
Power Chevrolet has stepped up to become the first presenting sponsor in the history of the Sublimity Harvest Festival.
“We like to give back to the community whenever possible because we believe that a strong community provides the best environment for raising children and a strong, stable, prosperous environment for everyone,” said Jeff Koehnke, of Power Chevrolet. “We have been involved with the Harvest Festival from the beginning and think it is a great organization.”
Power Chevrolet employees also hold quarterly fundraisers to raise money for area food banks with employee-driven events.
“The business then matches the funds raised dollar for dollar,” Koehnke said. “At the end of the year, the employees use the funds raised to purchase food and essentials needed at the local food banks.”
Koehnke believes supporting the Harvest Festival is important as it gives back to schools and organizations in the community.
“And we feel confident that by giving our support, the money will be used wisely to benefit our local communities,” he said.
This year’s Harvest Festival will feature the husband-wife monster-truck team, Bounty Hunter and Scarlet Bandit, as well as three other monsters Sept. 6 – 8 at the Harvest Festival Grounds in Sublimity.
“I’m very excited this year,” said Norm Miller, monster truck coordinator, of Jimmy and Dawn Creten’s appearance, sponsored by Siegmund Excavation and Allied Rock.
Miller, a monster driver himself, knows the Cretens from racing together for 17 years.
“They actually came to me and asked if they could come to the Harvest Festival,” Miller said. “They had always just had a competition conflict in the past. They didn’t this year.”
The Cretens will be up against King Krunch, Obsession and Nitro Hornet, driven by Stayton native Daron Basl. Miller promises a show that will be “an explosive step up,” one that will bring people to the edge of their seats.
This year, the festival celebrates 41 years of tractor pulls, truck pulls and monster madness that attracts more than 20,000 people to Sublimity from all over the Northwest.
The event features tractor, truck, ATV and horse pulls as well as monster trucks, a fun run, Saturday morning parade, entertainment tent, Kid Zone, live music, and commercial and food vendors.
Sunday is Family Day, and kicks off with the Sublimity Harvest Festival Breakfast. The Santiam Hospital Auxiliary will serve from 7 a.m. to noon at the Sublimity Fire Hall. On the menu: all-you-can-eat pancakes, German sausage, made-to-order eggs, orange juice, milk and coffee. Cost is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 60+, $4 for children 6-12, and free for children under 4. All proceeds benefit the hospital auxiliary.
Harvest Festival hours are 5 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday, and 7 a.m. (breakfast) to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Pre-sale tickets for the Friday and Saturday shows are available at Wilco Farm Stores and Wholesale Sports.
Tickets prices are:
Friday: adults, $12, children 6-12, $6, and seniors 62+, $10
Saturday: adults, $18, children 6-12, $8 and seniors 62+, $16
Sunday: adults, $8, children 6-12, $5, and seniors 62+, $6.
Children under 6 are free, and three-day general admission passes will be available at admissions at discounted prices. Parking is $5; shuttles are free and run from Sublimity Fire Hall and the Wilco parking lot in Stayton to the Festival grounds and back.
Sponsors include: Siegmund Excavation, Allied Rock, McCoy Freightliner, Scales NW, WAVE Broadband, Clinton Cox Construction, AgWest Supply, Peterson CAT, Linn Benton Tractor, Santiam Towing & Recovery, Sunbelt Rentals, Slayden Construction, North Santiam Paving, Power Yamaha and Power Chevrolet.
To learn more visit sublimityharvestfestival.org or call the Festival Grounds at 503-769-3579.
