LeBourdais Park was bustling Friday evening as Billy Barker Days continued throughout the day, despite a very brief downpour of rain, with the annual kids' day event being the main event during the day.
"Kids' day was definitely a hit," Billy Barker Days' office manager Taylor Gilkerson said. "This year we had the gymnastics (club) out which everyone loved. And then the intro to gold panning has been huge today."
Gilkerson said over 200 children participated in the festival. Children received "miner's licenses," made toys, blew bubbles and many more activities geared towards children. Clowns were at the park making balloon animals for them and a treasure hunt took place so the young prospectors could strike gold.
The midway rides continued through Friday along with the the Gold Dust Market. A busker station set up in the market allows locals to show off their talents.
The rodeo kicked off Friday night and will continue through the weekend. Rodeo events include a calf scramble, wild horse racing, classic rodeo events like barrel racing and much more.
