By Matt Decker
Leisure/Sports editor
The 30th annual Old Settlers Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Waynesville City Park, where visitors can trade with Mountain Men, enjoy music, games and food, and watch duck decoys race down the Roubidoux.
Leisure/Sports editor
The 30th annual Old Settlers Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, at Waynesville City Park, where visitors can trade with Mountain Men, enjoy music, games and food, and watch duck decoys race down the Roubidoux.
“We just finalized the schedule,” said Kelly Howley, Old Settlers Day chairwoman and board secretary for the Old Stagecoach Shop Foundation, which holds the festival each year.
“We have a lot of returning people — a lot of the same entertainers we’ve had in the past, as well as some new things this year that should be a lot of fun,” Howley said.
Events begin at 10 a.m. with opening ceremonies featuring several local, state and military leaders, plus an opening round fired by the Kickapoo Trace Muzzleloaders.
Part shooting club, part historical society, the Muzzleloaders re-create the days of the mountain-man era in pre-1840s America, and hold their annual shoot and camp-out — called a rendezvous —throughout the festival. Each year, the group holds a traditional black powder shoot, competition shoot, tomahawk throw and other contests, and also operate a “candy cannon” which will be fired hourly.
Following the opening ceremonies, visitors can enjoy music by the Community Band at 10:30 a.m., while the Armed Services YMCA holds its annual Best Dressed Duck Contest nearby. A panel of community judges will determine the 10 best duck decoys decorated by military units, area businesses, organizations and individuals. Visitors can also vote for their favorite decoy by donating dollars for the “People’s Choice Award.”
The duck decoys will then be taken to the Roubidoux Creek starting at 11:15 a.m. for the first of six heat races of the Great Pulaski Duck Race. Heats will be held every half hour until 2:15 p.m. All eliminated ducks will compete in a consolation race at 2:45 p.m., and the race winners will compete in a championship race at 3:15 p.m., for a chance to win a $1,000 savings bond.
There’s still time to enter the duck races, which raise money for the Armed Services YMCA. Organizations or individuals can purchase a duck for $100, according to Linda Bright, Armed Services YMCA director.
“We still have a few ducks available,” Bright said. “All they need to do is contact the Y, so I can get them on the list and make sure they get what they need.”
To purchase a duck decoy, call the Armed Services YMCA at 329.4513 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The YMCA will also hold a Kid’s Rubber Duck Race at 12:45 p.m., with rubber ducks available on site for $5.
Meanwhile, entertainment continues throughout Old Settlers Day, with the Bodhran Celtic Drum group at 11:30 p.m., the River Berry Players at noon and the Flowers O’ Scotland Dance Troupe at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m. musical entertainment will be provided by Mikaela Smith and Glenn Bates, and Michael O’Brien and Julia Janda. At 3 p.m., the Acoustidors, made up of Mark Parker, Jim Wilking, Carlos Arrastia and Shawn Rollins, are scheduled to perform.
A new event this year is a “bungee run” sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club. “That’s something we didn’t have last year,” Howley said. “You have a bungee cord attached to you, and you have to run and put a bean bag (in a goal.) It’s fun, and something we’re looking forward to.”
Old Settlers Day is held each year by the Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation, which also operates the Old Stagecoach Stop museum on the square.
Each year in conjunction with the festival, the foundation publishes the “Old Settlers Gazette,” which features articles on the history of the area.
“We try hard to get as many local people involved as possible (with the Gazette),” said Stephanie Nutt, Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation President.
Nutt said the foundation will be selling T-shirts, designed by Waynesville High School student Melanie Sheldon, marking the 30th Old Settlers Day.
As it does every year, Old Settlers Day will also feature numerous vendors offering a variety of food, crafts, souvenirs and more. The nearby Old Stagecoach Stop Museum and historic Pulaski Courthouse Museum will both be open for tours throughout the festival. A quilt show will be located inside the Old Stagecoach Stop during the festival.
“We will have a shuttle that runs from the park to the Waynesville Square. So, if people want, they can take the shuttle back and forth,” Nutt said.
Old Settlers Day is free and open to the public.
For more information about Old Settlers Day, visit the Old Stagecoach Stop website at www.oldstagecoachstop.org.
“We have a lot of returning people — a lot of the same entertainers we’ve had in the past, as well as some new things this year that should be a lot of fun,” Howley said.
Events begin at 10 a.m. with opening ceremonies featuring several local, state and military leaders, plus an opening round fired by the Kickapoo Trace Muzzleloaders.
Part shooting club, part historical society, the Muzzleloaders re-create the days of the mountain-man era in pre-1840s America, and hold their annual shoot and camp-out — called a rendezvous —throughout the festival. Each year, the group holds a traditional black powder shoot, competition shoot, tomahawk throw and other contests, and also operate a “candy cannon” which will be fired hourly.
Following the opening ceremonies, visitors can enjoy music by the Community Band at 10:30 a.m., while the Armed Services YMCA holds its annual Best Dressed Duck Contest nearby. A panel of community judges will determine the 10 best duck decoys decorated by military units, area businesses, organizations and individuals. Visitors can also vote for their favorite decoy by donating dollars for the “People’s Choice Award.”
The duck decoys will then be taken to the Roubidoux Creek starting at 11:15 a.m. for the first of six heat races of the Great Pulaski Duck Race. Heats will be held every half hour until 2:15 p.m. All eliminated ducks will compete in a consolation race at 2:45 p.m., and the race winners will compete in a championship race at 3:15 p.m., for a chance to win a $1,000 savings bond.
There’s still time to enter the duck races, which raise money for the Armed Services YMCA. Organizations or individuals can purchase a duck for $100, according to Linda Bright, Armed Services YMCA director.
“We still have a few ducks available,” Bright said. “All they need to do is contact the Y, so I can get them on the list and make sure they get what they need.”
Fred Dixon, member of the Kickapoo Trace Muzzle-loaders, demonstrates how to operate a forge at the 2009 Old Settlers Day. File photo
To purchase a duck decoy, call the Armed Services YMCA at 329.4513 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The YMCA will also hold a Kid’s Rubber Duck Race at 12:45 p.m., with rubber ducks available on site for $5.
Meanwhile, entertainment continues throughout Old Settlers Day, with the Bodhran Celtic Drum group at 11:30 p.m., the River Berry Players at noon and the Flowers O’ Scotland Dance Troupe at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m. musical entertainment will be provided by Mikaela Smith and Glenn Bates, and Michael O’Brien and Julia Janda. At 3 p.m., the Acoustidors, made up of Mark Parker, Jim Wilking, Carlos Arrastia and Shawn Rollins, are scheduled to perform.
A new event this year is a “bungee run” sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club. “That’s something we didn’t have last year,” Howley said. “You have a bungee cord attached to you, and you have to run and put a bean bag (in a goal.) It’s fun, and something we’re looking forward to.”
Old Settlers Day is held each year by the Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation, which also operates the Old Stagecoach Stop museum on the square.
Each year in conjunction with the festival, the foundation publishes the “Old Settlers Gazette,” which features articles on the history of the area.
“We try hard to get as many local people involved as possible (with the Gazette),” said Stephanie Nutt, Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation President.
Nutt said the foundation will be selling T-shirts, designed by Waynesville High School student Melanie Sheldon, marking the 30th Old Settlers Day.
As it does every year, Old Settlers Day will also feature numerous vendors offering a variety of food, crafts, souvenirs and more. The nearby Old Stagecoach Stop Museum and historic Pulaski Courthouse Museum will both be open for tours throughout the festival. A quilt show will be located inside the Old Stagecoach Stop during the festival.
“We will have a shuttle that runs from the park to the Waynesville Square. So, if people want, they can take the shuttle back and forth,” Nutt said.
Old Settlers Day is free and open to the public.
For more information about Old Settlers Day, visit the Old Stagecoach Stop website at www.oldstagecoachstop.org.