Former and present residents of Vail and the surrounding area will be celebrating their 150th birthday this coming weekend with activities planned through Sunday. The party kicks-off at 5 p.m. Friday with the Crawford County Cattlemen grilling from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and a variety of singers and instrumentalists. There will be a beer garden with musical entertainment from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. near the Community Center. Softball competitions will also get underway Friday, and a special fireworks show will close out the evening. Saturday will feature the big parade at 10:30 a.m. and then bounce houses, helicopter rides, car and tractor shows, raffles and the softball tournament continuing throughout the day. The big event, the fifth annual Back Road Bash, will be Saturday night, with musical acts Royce Johns, Pie in the Sky and Walker McGuire hitting the stage in the Vail School yard. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased by following the link included with this story on our website. That doesn’t end the celebrating, however, as a Staley’s chicken dinner will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, followed up by the tractor pull.
