Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Madison County's annual Down Home Days celebration will soon be here and this year's event promises to be one that everyone will be sure to enjoy. There are several events planned to take place, starting on Wednesday, April 19 and culminating on Saturday, April 22.
• Wednesday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m. Down Home Days kicks off with a Night of Worship at Four Freedoms Park. The event will feature music from area churches. The guest speaker will be local author JerriAnn Webb.
• On Thursday, April 20, the popular Down Home Days Dog Show will take place at Four Freedoms Park. Registration begins at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 6:30 p.m.
• On Friday, April 21, at 6 p.m., students from Becky's Dance Steps Studios will be performing on the courthouse square. Grumpy's Diner on Main will hold their pie baking contest. The Madison Church of Christ will hold their “Old Time Gospel Sing” at 7 p.m. This event will take place at the church, located at 199 NE Range Ave., in Madison. Refreshments will follow the singing.
• On Saturday, April 22, the big Down Home Days celebration culminates in downtown Madison. The day kicks off with the Fun Run at 8 a.m., followed by the Down Home Days Parade at 10 a.m. There will be vendors galore located throughout downtown Madison and around Four Freedoms Park, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Don't miss the entertaining 32nd Annual Frog Hop Contest, taking place on the Courthouse Lawn at 1 p.m. Contestants and their amphibious athletes will compete in three age divisions: the Children's Division for toddlers through K-4, the Junior Division for kids age five through third grade and the Senior Division for those fourth grade and up. People and frogs are asked to arrive 30 minutes early to register for the contest. There will be prizes in each division, with the first place winners of each division competing in a championship hop-off for the Grand Champion Trophy.
• Saturday's events conclude at 4 p.m. at Lanier Field with the Fatherhood Flag Football Game. In the tradition of previous Boyz to Kings Concerned Community Men games, this promises to be a fun game between two long-time rivals, Madison and Taylor County. The game is being presented by T.E.A.M. Dad Healthy Start Fatherhood Initiative of Florida, with support from Boyz to Kings and Battlefront Education and Wellness. For more information about the game, please call (850) 843-6486.
For more information about any of the Down Home Days activities, please contact the Madison County Chamber of Commerce at (850) 973-2788, or you can visit their website at https://madisonfl.org.