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Many family-friendly activities have been added to the celebration, including kids chalk art, kids watercolor painting, face painting, a juggling act, the Emery Express train ride, a strong man contest and an inflatable obstacle course. People will also find more comforts, such as more tables, chairs and shade tents.

“All of these enhancements are the first steps to making River Falls Days an event that celebrates our community through music, art, great food and family fun,” Korpela said.

This year is the first in a three-year plan to add more music, showcase local artisans and artists, expand family-friendly activities and offer more ways to connect with River Falls business owners and locally made products.

“We think this will make the event more enjoyable for local residents and position the event to attract more attendees from the whole region,” Korpela said.

The chamber is now focused on set-up logistics, marketing and recruiting volunteers. Volunteers are still needed; if people are interested, they can go to a link at rfchamber.com to sign up. A volunteer training is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 13, in the River Falls City Hall Training Room (222 Lewis St.)

Safety

The chamber worked closely with Pierce County Public Health, which provided event guidance. The safety plan was submitted to the city and event sponsors for review. The good news is, many of the safety protocols found in the planning documents have been dropped or relaxed due to the drop in COVID cases and increased vaccinations.

“Most of River Falls Days will feel very ‘normal’ for people,” Korpela said. “Our general safety guidance will be to encourage masking and social distancing for those who are unvaccinated.”

The chamber started planning in the spring, at which time the event feasibility remained uncertain. Because of that uncertainty, the chamber planned a reverse parade. Though some protocols have been relaxed considerably, the reverse parade will remain in place.

“We understand people’s disappointment in that,” Korpela said. “But due to city of River Falls staffing challenges, we were unable to pivot back to a regular version of the parade. Rest assured, absent another unexpected significant COVID outbreak, the 2022 River Falls Days parade will be held as normal. We are excited, though, that the rest of River Falls Days will be very close to normal, especially given that this past March we were not sure if the event would happen at all.”

Event schedule Thursday, July 15

•CVTC-RF Application Workshop: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 500 S. Wasson Lane. Stop by to tour campus, apply and have your application fee waived. Visit cvtc.edu/riverfalls for more info.

•Xibaba, 5-6:30 p.m., live music at Veterans Park.

•5-8 p.m., The Garage Bikes + Brews: Enjoy live outdoor music with Scott Erickschen and food from Echo Meats Food Truck.

•5-8 p.m., Farmer’s Market: Browse and shop local farmers, bakers and artisan goods. Bubbles BBQ Food Truck will be onsite, as well as live music from Sarah Van Valkenburg, at Rush River Brewery.

•6:30-9 p.m. Brian Naughton Band: Brian brings unequalled energy to the stage. His guitar rocks you from the first note. Close your eyes and from the tone, you’d think the vocals are coming from an 80-year-old iconic bluesman.

•7 p.m. River Falls Royal Ambassador Coronation, RFHS Auditorium (818 Cemetery Road)

Friday, July 16

•CVTC-RF Application Workshop: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 500 S. Wasson Lane. Stop by to tour campus, apply and have your application fee waived. Visit cvtc.edu/riverfalls for more info.

•Medallion Hunt: Clues will be posted at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. If the medallion is not found Friday, clues will be posted every two hours on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. The winner will receive $200, or $250 with a 2021 RF Days button. Clues will be posted at the bell in Heritage Park.

•Race Packet Pick Up, 1-5 p.m.: For pre-registered participants, stop by City Hall Training Room (222 Lewis St.) to pick up your race packet.

•Food Truck Friday, 4-8 p.m. Taqueria Los Paisanos’ Oscar will serve authentic, Mexican food at Rush River Brewery.

•4:30-5:30 p.m. Loud Mouth Brass: Live music at Heritage Park Main Stage

•5-8 p.m. Live music with Bryan Anderson and Pita Pit Food Truck, The Garage Bikes + Brews.

•5:30-7 p.m. Howard “Guitar” Luedtke & Blue Max: Live music at City Hall Plaza.

•6-8 p.m. Reverse Parade: Join local businesses and organization in this unique parade! Walk past floats and booths lined up along Second Street, with the opportunity to spend more time checking out your faves. The reverse parade will still include marching bands, royalty and plenty of candy!

•Hitchville, 7:30-10 p.m. Under the leadership of dynamic lead vocalists Heidi Owens and Matthew Kneefe, the group’s trademark harmonies, down home personalities, and kinetic stage energy leads to an unforgettable live show in which the band has worked tirelessly to produce. There’s really only one place where the beer is always cold, the people are always friendly, the music is always world class, and the energy is always palpable… they’d like to welcome everybody home… to Hitchville.

Saturday, July 17

•5K Race Pre-registration, 8 a.m. The route starts at City Hall Plaza and takes you through neighborhoods, across the Swinging Bridge into Glen Park to the Riverwalk Pathway.

•Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m. to noon, Dick’s Fresh Market.

•Kids Obstacle Course, 9-11 a.m., City Hall upper parking lot, pre-registration required. Compete against others in the inflatable obstacle course, then race down the 18-foot dual slide. For kids 12 and under; cost is $7 (includes swag bag).

•10-10:45 a.m., Barre the Brewery, Swinging Bridge Brewery. Inspiring Actions class; bring a water bottle, yoga mat and towel. Get ready to sweat and laugh. No barre experience necessary; variations will be given for each pose (beginner, intermediate or advanced). Class is 45 minutes; price also includes a 16-ounce tap beer.

•10-11 a.m., POUND & Pour, The Garage Bikes + Brews. A 45-minute cardio and strength class to unleash your inner rockstar. Check out santoshastudeio.info

•10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Indoor Scavenger Hunt, Recharge Chiropractic. Prizes and games for all ages.

•10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Five-Year Anniversary Open House, Options for Women (214 N. Main). Tours, sweet treats, and services info.

•11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Cheese Curd Tasting, Dining & Activity Tent. Try samples of fresh curds, flavored curds, deep-fried curds and the new Cheddar Curd Crunchers from Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery; $1 per 2-ounce sample.

•11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Merry Magpie Face Painting.

•11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Children’s Water Fight, RF Fire Department, Second Street. Cool off with water fights and other fun activities, ages 5-13, no registration required.

•11 a.m. to 1 p.m. House Boats, live music, City Hall Plaza.

•11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Strongman Competition, City Hall lower parking lot. Watch athletes compete in Max Log Press, Car Deadlift, Tire Flip/Farmers Carry, Keg/Sandbag, and Stone Over Bar. Organized by River City Ironworx Gym.

•11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Inflatable Fun for Kids, City Hall upper parking lot. Inflatable obstacle course and 18-foot dual slide. Cost is $5/child; unlimited time.

•11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Blind Munchies Coffeehouse Summer Celebration. Free food, coffee, activities and more.

•11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Chasing Waterfalls Release Party! Swing by for a pint, treats from Marigold Café (12-4 p.m.) and Salsa Spot (4-8 p.m., Rush River Brewery.

•Noon, Cale the Juggler, Veterans Park.

•12:30-2 p.m., Tommy Bentz Band, Heritage Park Main Stage.

•2-4 p.m., Dan Israel, live music at Veterans Park.

•2:30-4:30 p.m., Lisa Wenger Band, City Hall Plaza.

•3-5 p.m., Kids Watercolor, Dining & Activity Tent. Community Arts Base will select paintings to be displayed in festival area.

•3-6 p.m. Cornfest, First Covenant Church. Serving free sweetcorn and sandwiches; kids activities.

•4 p.m., Senior Legion vs. New Richmond Legion Baseball, First National Bank of River Falls Field.

•4:30-6:30 p.m. Trent Romens & Calico Tango, live music, Heritage Park Main Stage.

•Peek-A-Boo Boxing Gym Fight Night Boxing Show, Wildcat Arena. Doors open at 5 p.m., fights start at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

•5-9 p.m., BBQ from Ralph’s Rib Crib Food Truck, Reggae-Rock by Irie Minds, The Garage Bikes + Brews.

•6:30 p.m. Fighting Fish vs. NR Millers, First National Bank of River Falls Field. Ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate new turf; game at 7 p.m.

•6:30-8 p.m. High & Rising, live music, City Hall Plaza.

•8-10 p.m. Freebird: Delivers a classic rock experience by performing favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd songs that leave the audience wanting to hear more, hit after hit. The guitar army plays the duel leads in perfect “Skynyrd” style to make the crowd feel like they are at the ultimate southern rock concert.

Sunday, July 18

•11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Merry Magpie Face Painting.

•11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Car Cruze-In, downtown RF. Bring your favorite summer ride to an afternoon full of poodle skirts, classic music and fun shops.

•11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kids Chalk Art, Heritage Park Main Stage.

•12-2 p.m., Mike Munson, live music, City Hall Plaza.

•1 p.m., Lions Club Great Duck Race, Heritage Park. Purchase a duck ticket from a RF Lions Club member and watch it race down the Kinni. First place is $1,000, with cash prizes for places 2-5.

•2-4 p.m. Them Coulee Boys: Eau Claire’s Them Coulee Boys are rising stars in the national bluegrass and americana scene and a show not to be missed._Beautiful songs written by an old soul, and performed by dedicated, talented, funny and passionate musicians.

•2-5 p.m., Zeb Sears provides soulful tunes, BBQ from Up In Smoke Food Truck and ice cream from Street Treats Ice Cream Truck, The Garage Bikes + Brews.

•2-5 p.m. Tommy Bentz Band, Rush River Brewery.

•7 p.m., RF Legion vs. Bloomington, First National Bank of River Falls Field

•Dusk, Fireworks, viewed from Hoffman Park and Greenwood Elementary School fields.

Throughout

•Beer Garden: 4-9 p.m. Thursday, 4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

•Heritage Park Food Vendors: Island Noodles, Smokey Treats BBQ, River Falls Sportsmen’s Club, Tastee Treatz, and more! Heritage Park

•2021 River Falls Days Buttons: Purchase a commemorative River Falls Days button for $4 and enter to win raffle drawings for up to $250 in cash prizes! Winners will be drawn at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 18 on the Main Stage. A button will also get you a free beer at the Chamber beer tent. Buttons can be purchased at the Chamber office, or at participating Chamber businesses. Heritage Park

•Softball Tournament: The place this summer where the best teams compete for CASH prizes and awards! Concessions are available and all proceeds benefit the River Falls Youth Hockey Association. Hoffman Park

•Emery Express Choo Choo Train: All Aboard the Emery Express! This year, kids can take a train ride through the festival grounds. Cost is $3/ride paid to the conductor.