August 29, 2024 3:30 a.m.

In the KQEN Cultural Spotlight:

Fort Umpqua Days is happening this Saturday and Sunday at the Elkton Community Education Center.

A variety of activities will be taking place over the weekend. Historic reenactors will set up camp on the grounds of Fort Umpqua, which is a life-sized replica of a Hudson’s Bay trading fort, to show what life was like in the Umpqua River valley in the middle 1800’s. Attendees can visit with trappers, press their own cider, enjoy kid’s activities and visit live animal exhibits. On Saturday, educators from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians will be on site to teach people about Native American culture.

Elkton’s hometown parade will be on River Road Saturday at 10:00 a.m., followed by a performance by the Sunny Sky Boys, and Elkton’s famous pie auction starting at 11:00 a.m. There will be artisan booths, tours of ECEC’s butterfly pavilion and an opportunity to “Adopt a Butterfly” all weekend. Culinary highlights include a Lion’s Club pancake breakfast, barbecue fundraiser and ECEC’s student-run Outpost Café.

This year’s event is also a celebration of ECEC’s 25th anniversary. Guests, community members, former volunteers and graduates of ECEC’s youth employment program are invited for a reunion.

New activities this year include a Mullet Contest on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. with cash prizes for the best mullet hairdos and a special prize for the best mullet wig. There will be chainsaw carving demonstrations on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Each day wraps up with Elkton’s live action musical pageant, Echo’s of the Umpqua at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a special cupcake party after the pageant to celebrate 25 years of community-building in Elkton.

A schedule of activities and more information is available at: https://elktonbutterflies.com/event/fort-umpqua-days/