Greensburg celebrates Cow Days Friday and Saturday

 One of Greensburg’s most anticipated events makes its annual appearance on the city square Friday and Saturday when the Rotary Club’s Cow Days returns to the city.

Food, fun, music, games and good times will spread to every corner of the downtown area with two stages, vendors athletic competitions, a whole street lined with food booths and the traditional Cow Days parade on Saturday.

Though not expected to be as large as last year’s parade when Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer was grand marshal and the 50th anniversary of Dragon football was celebrated, and state and national dignitaries were in attendance, there should be plenty to thrill all ages at this year’s event.

Rotary Club President Bill Landrum said that Cow Days celebrates community service and  Greensburg is truly enriched with a culture of service.

“A successful Cow Days festival is the direct result of hundreds of hours of volunteer work and results in the Rotary Club having much needed funds for many charitable activities— educational, vocational and humanitarian,” he said.

This year, two late Rotarians who gave much to the community and Cow Days will be remembered when their families serve as parade grand marshals, Landrum said.

“When one thinks of commitment and selfless service within the community, two past Rotarians immediately come to mind,”  Landrum said. “Jim Philpott and John Durham, both are above the rest. Both had a dedication to making Cow Days the best it could be year in and year out. Jim and John were both leaders, able to adapt to high energy tasks and were for so many years the go-to folks for getting things done. Both epitomized not only the virtue of  Rotarians but Greensburg and the volunteers we have here.  And for this the Greensburg Rotary Club wanted to dedicate their memory and ask their families to serve as grand marshals in our parade. We truly want to celebrate our own.”

Festivities actually kick off Thursday with the annual Cow Bowl high school football game between the Green County Dragons and the Campbellsville Eagles. The game will be held at Campbellsville University’s Finley Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

A new event this year, scheduled for Friday will be a chili cook-off jointly sponsored by the Greensburg Masonic Lodge and the Green County High School. Participants are asked to make a pot of chili, some of which will be reserved for judging, the rest will be sold during a chili supper at the Masonic Lodge on Main Street as a fundraiser. Entry fee is $10 and drop off time is 5:30 p.m.

The chili supper will begin soon thereafter and the money raised will be used to support the band’s activities  and Masonic scholarships.

For more information call Mary Ann Kelly at 932-7327.

Another new event this year will be a free inflatables play area behind Greensburg Baptist Church starting at 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Events get in full swing in Greensburg Friday with shows concerts, competitions and good food.

Among the activities that begin Friday are the Jane Todd Crawford Hospital Green County Extension Homemakers Quilt Show  and two concerts.

Driven, The First Service Band and 4Given will perform during a gospel concert on the Health First Pharmacy Stage near the footbridge at the intersection of East Court Street and First Alley East.

“I want to praise everybody that has helped but especially Adam Hill and driven, who is sponsoring our Friday Night  gospel and also Joe Judd who has coordinated the groups for our Gospel Jubilee on Saturday,” said Rotary music coordinator Trent Ford. “They do it for the Lord.”

One Shot Johnny and  the return of blueswoman Robbie Bartlett, will perform in Q104-sponsored  concerts on the Main Stage near Longhunter’s.

Greensburg Baptist Church will also sponsor a co-ed volleyball tournament in its Baptist Life Center Friday at 6 p.m.

Annie, the Cow Days trademark fiberglass cow, will be available for Kool Aid milking.

Saturday, the Green River Sealcoating and Striping Car and Bike Show and the Forcht Bank Ham Breakfast kick things off early.

Main Street will be closed to automobile traffic from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT Saturday, but shuttle service from Green County High and Green County Intermediate school parking lots begins just in time for athletic events, including the GBC 3-on-3 basketball tournament and the Community Trust Cow Days 5K. The maximum waiting time for buses should be 15 minutes, organizers said.

Favorite events returning Saturday include a tractor show, beauty pageants, FFA Games, pipe smoking contest, the Los Agaves Parade, and the Quad Printing Calf giveaway.

Arts and crafts viewing will be at the Forcht bank basement, quilt viewing will be at the Greensburg Presbyterian Church and the FFA games  will be held in front of the Main Stage.

KCountry concerts scheduled for Saturday include Steve Gray, Dewayne Spaw, Terry Wooley and Ruff-Cut on the Main Stage.

“Our biggest crowd is here during the afternoon, and we are featuring Terry Wooley, a national recording artist and songwriter who puts on a great show,” Ford said.

A gospel music jubilee is scheduled for the Health First Pharmacy Stage featuring  New Direction, the Aaron Family, the Joymakers and Faith Family Ministries at 2 p.m.

The Los Agaves Cow Days parade, scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday,  is one of the favorite events, drawing the largest crowd  of the entire weekend.

Participants should arrive at staging areas by 12:30 p.m. CDT.

Starting at 11:30 a.m. CDT, two lanes of US 68 entering Greensburg from Campbellsville will be closed from Bluebird Lane to PBI Bank to line up motorized participants. Those walking in the parade will start on West Hodgenville Avenue in front of Greensburg Housing Authority/Police Department. Riders will unload horses at the old stockyards.

For more info, call parade chairman Nancy J. Stearman at 932-3284.