Fur Trade Days, Inc. is announcing several pivotal changes for Fur Trade Days: RELOADED to be held July 11-15, 2018. Garry Moore Amusements will provide a carnival, regionally-known Brandon Jones Band and Judd Hoos will perform Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively, and the Traders’ Market will be relocated to downtown Chadron on 2nd Street.
Kristina Harter, Fur Trade Days, Inc. president, said bringing back a carnival ranked first in a Fur Trade Days survey distributed to community members, business owners and Fur Trade Days participants in early 2017.
“We heard the community and are excited for the opportunity to host a carnival again during Fur Trade Days,” said Harter. “We look forward to partnering with Garry Moore Amusements and event sponsors to draw more visitors to Chadron during the entire event.”
Garry Moore Amusements features 9 rides, 5-10 game stations and one large food wagon. The carnival is made possible through Fur Trade Days sponsorships, Friends of Fur Trade Days memberships and ticket sales. The service will operate July 12 -13 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and July 14 from noon to 11 p.m.
Contracts have been signed with Shane Funk of the HomeSlice Group, a promoter for both the Brandon Jones Band and Judd Hoos. Funk is also the Judd Hoos drummer and graduated from Chadron State College in 1998 with business administration degree.
“It’s really exciting to have the chance to come back to Chadron for Fur Trade Days,” said Funk. “As a CSC graduate and former resident of Chadron, I always look forward to having so many friends come back to Chadron for Fur Trade to reunite and catch up. Chadron is a special place that will always feel like home.”
Judd Hoos is an American Rock Band based in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Breathe In was released just over a year ago and charted number 23 on the iTunes new rock charts. Since then the band released their first the full-length album, Music In The Dark in 2017.
The Brandon Jones Band is an energetic country cover band from Rapid City, S.D. They predominately play country and rock, but provide several genres. They were previously known as Brandon Jones and The Thirty Fish, but have continued as the Brandon Jones Band and have released many of their own originals.
The Brandon Jones Band is scheduled for Friday, July 13 at 9:00 p.m. and Judd Hoos will hit the stage Saturday, July 14 at 9:00 p.m. Both bands are performing in downtown Chadron. On Friday and Saturday, wristbands will be sold for a small fee for patrons to be present in the designated street dance area.
Sponsorship packages for both the carnival and entertainment will be available starting Feb. 1.
Lastly, the Fur Trade Days Traders’ Market, previously held at the Dawes County Courthouse, will be relocated to downtown Chadron on 2nd Street near the Downtown Gathering Space.
The Fur Trade Days, Inc. board of directors envisions downtown Chadron as the central hub for the celebration moving forward.
Miles Bannan, Chadron’s vice mayor and vice-president of Fur Trade Days, Inc. is looking forward to the positive impact the location change will have on downtown Chadron.
“Moving downtown will create a central location for all Fur Trade Days events and make it easier for visitors to enjoy local events throughout the weekend,” said Bannan. “Over a million dollars has been spent on downtown infrastructure and building renovations and this move will be a great opportunity to show off the upgrades.”
Fur Trade Days, Inc. is energized by the change and looks forward to sharing the excitement with the community.
“We are making some significant changes this year and the Fur Trade Days directors and committee members are working hard to make the change a reality,” Harter said. “Discussions have been ongoing and I hope the shift will receive the support of the community.”
For more information call 308-432-4401 or visit www.FurTradeDays.com.