Heating up for Hubbard's Hop Fest

Weather forecasters are calling for temperatures to inch into the heated 90s as Hubbard residents gear up to showcase their community this Saturday with the annual Hubbard Hop Festival.

This year’s festival, taking place Saturday, July 20, marks the event’s 50th anniversary. Early activities begin in cooler temps with the 6 a.m. registration for the 5k fun run at Rivenes Park – corner of 4th and E streets – with a $20 entry fee. The run begins at 7 a.m., and the course traces along 3rd and D streets, Broadacres and Boones Ferry roads.

The Hop Festival Parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Entrants can register for the parade between 8 and 9:30 a.m. at the corner of Moonbeam Court and 3rd St. The parade will embark near there on 3rd, travel south to G St., west to 7th then north to A St. where it will turn east before wrapping up.

A broad array of festivities unfold at Rivenes Park from 11 a.m. through midnight, including the car show, food and craft vendors, beer garden, horseshoe tournament, bingo, kids zone, entertainment and mingling. Music begins at 4 p.m. and plays through 11 p.m.

Hop Fest notes

The Entertainment Stage is sponsored by The Kennedy Group and will have 3 bands this year - The Backwoods Country Band, Kelsey Bales, and 5 Guys Named Moe. There is no cover charge.The Kids Zone is sponsored by the city of Hubbard and will feature all kinds of inflatable games, slides and the like. There will also be face painting, a bubble machine, and a dunk tank.Hubbard Chevrolet is sponsoring the parade. The car show begins after the parade and is sponsored by 808 Automotive. The Over the Hill Gang Car Club will be judging cars and handing out prizes.The Food Court is sponsored by Hierba Buena, and will offer a bevy of yummy snacks to choose from, including burgers & fries, corn dogs, tacos, BBQ, pizza, shave ice, deep fried Oreos, coffee and more.The Marketplace is sponsored by Propane Northwest and will showcase a wide variety of local artists, crafters and nonprofits.The Bingo games are sponsored by Engelman Electric and the Horseshoe Tournament is sponsored by Justin Stearns State Farm.

For information, visit Hubbard Hop Festival on Facebook.