Olton’s 43 rd annual Sandhills Celebration will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. The four-day celebration will begin with an open house at the Cavett Memorial Center from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Later that evening, the Olton Volunteer Association will be cooking and serving hamburgers at 6 p.m. at the Olton Chamber of Commerce’s Pavilion Park.
The evening will continue with gospel singing at 7:30 p.m. followed by the Chris Jones Ice Cream Social and contest. Sandhills Sweetheart candidates will be presented during the evening. There will also be an ice cream contest again this year. To sign up to bring ice cream and enter into the contest contact Tammy Smith at 806-393-5476.
Thursday, Aug. 4, the Olton High School auditorium will host the pageant at 7 p.m. The admission fee is about $3 per person. For any questions about the pageant please call Robyn Stevenson at 806-685-8226.
Friday, Aug. 5, the Dog Show starts at 5 p.m. at the pavilion. Registration starts at 4 p.m. and there is a $5 fee per dog entered. Call Amber DeBerry at 806-685- 0915 for more information.
An Arts and Crafts booth will be open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday. Booths for non-food vendors are still available. For more information please contact Brittney Redwine at 806-252-7251.
Registration for the Cornhole Tournament starts at 5 p.m. and the tournament kicks off at 6 p.m. at Stiles Horseshoe Park. Winners of the Cornhole Tournament will receive a cash prize. Contact Eddie Rios at 806-240-4763 for more information.
A Volleyball Tournament will be held on Friday starting at 6 p.m. The entry fee is $40 per team and the winning teams will receive a cash prize: $80 for first place and $40 for second place. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, Aug. 3. To enter a team, call Lety Jimenez at 806-869-6103.
At 6 p.m., hamburgers will be cooked and served sponsored by the OVAA at the Pavilion. Afterward, there will be a bake sale and cake auction at 6:30 p.m. benefiting the Olton Sandcrawl Museum, followed by a dance featuring DJ Ferly from 7 p.m to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 6, will start the morning off with the Olton Lion’s Club breakfast from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Ambulance Station, located on Eighth Street.
The arts and crafts booth will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Booths for non-food vendors are still available. For more information contact Brittney Redwine at 806-252-7251.
The W.B. Dickenson Memorial Parade will take place at 10 a.m. down Main Street. Line-up begins at 9:30 a.m at Second Street and Ave. G. Awards will be given out for the best entries: $200 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place. Any questions please call Terry Martin at 806-638- 6684.
At Stiles Park, there will be a couple of water slides for kids to go down from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will also be a couple of dry slides for those that do not want to get wet. Tickets will be $1 for one slide or a child can purchase a bracelet for $10 to be able to ride unlimited time on both.
Horseshoe Pitching Tournament at Stiles Horseshoe Park will begin with registration at 11 a.m. and the first pitch will take place at 1 p.m. It is a double elimination tournament and the entry fee is $10 per person. First place winners will receive custom buckles, second place winners will receive a $150 prize, and third place winners will receive a $100 prize. Contact Randy Mitchell at 806-773-8595 for more information.
The Joe Harrell Memorial Car Show is being organized and everyone is encouraged to enter. They will ride in the parade and then park in the Wellington State Bank parking lot. Judging will take place about 11:15. The first place winner will receive a $100 cash prize, the second place winner will receive $50 and the third place winner will receive $25. For more information, contact Jo Helen Harrell at 806-285-3359.
Hamburgers, sponsored by OVAA, will be cooked and served at noon at the pavilion.
The Sandhills Golf Scramble will being at 1 p.m. at the Olton Golf Course. For more information please call Jace Riney at 806-543- 5083.
Olton Lion’s Club is holding the Tennis Ball Drop fundraiser. Tennis balls can be purchased during Sandhills for $5 each. The tennis balls will be dropped on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the OCCA Pavilion. The winner will receive half of the proceeds collected. For more information, contact Tanya Noack at 806- 685-0208.
A raffle drawing will take place on Wednesday evening at the Chris Jones Ice Cream Social for a White Mountain 4-quart electric ice cream maker. Tickets will be sold at $10 per ticket.
A raffle drawing for a dog treat basket will be held at the Dog Show on Friday. Tickets will be sold at $5 per ticket.
A raffle drawing for $500 in Olton Bucks will be held on Friday before the dance featuring DJ Ferly. Tickets will be sold at $10 per ticket or 6 for $50. Olton Bucks will be usable with Olton Chamber of Commerce business members.
The drawing for the four items in this year’s Sandhills Traditional Raffle, will be held on Saturday, from around 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Tickets for the Chicago Cutlery Insignia Steel 18-piece knife set, a $220 value, will be sold at $5 per ticket or 6 for $25. Tickets for the Costway Inflatable Kid’s Bounce House, a $320 value, will be sold for $10 per ticket. Tickets for the Blackstone 30” griddle with hood and counter height shelves, a $399 value, will be sold at $25 per ticket or 5 for $100. Tickets for the 5-piece patio fire pit set, a $2,099 value, will be sold at $100 per ticket.
The Sandhills Traditional Raffle will help benefit the OCCA. Tickets can be purchased at the Olton Chamber Office or from members of the Chamber Board of Directors. For any further questions about this year’s Sandhills celebration, please call the Olton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture at 806- 285-2292.