DAYTON – Memorial Day weekend will feature a buzz of activity this year the likes of which haven't been seen since the end of pari-mutuel horse racing several years ago. As the historic Dayton Days celebration has dwindled to a festive, but simple, downtown parade, event organizers have hatched a plan to rekindle the weekend excitement and provide a new opportunity for a blossoming event, Mule Mania.

Mule Mania

Beginning this year, Mule Mania will fill the Columbia County Fairgrounds with families, food and fun from May 22-24. Mule Mania first came to Dayton in July 2011, and was held in mid-July for four years.

Admission is free to all comers. Activities include mule and donkey competitions, chuck wagon cook-offs and feeds, a beer and wine garden, live entertainment, Western vendors, cowboy church and more.

A new treat in store for Mule Mania visitors this year will be the Buffalo Soldiers – two reenactment groups representing the 10th Cavalry and the 25th Infantry, factions which participated in the Indian Wars of 1855-1858.

Two tents for the reenactors will be pitched, "just like 150 years ago," said Jim Cooper, of Columbia Rural Electric Association. Guests can stop by to see the reenactors and ask lots of questions, Cooper said.

And the troops will lead the parade – Mule Mania participants will join with community members for the annual Dayton Days parade through Main Street.

Dayton Days Tradition

In addition to activities all weekend at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, traditional Dayton Days goings-on will take place in town on Saturday, May 23. Beginning with the long-running Dayton Days Parade Saturday morning on East Main Street; Mule Mania participants will join in, following after the traditional parade. "Technically it will be two parades in one," said Linze Greenwalt, events coordinator with the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.

Dayton Days at the Boldman House Museum, 410 N. 1st Street, will be "a lot of fun," Greenwalt said. Guests to this free event from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday will get to experience some typical activities in the life of a Dayton family from the early 1900s.

Activities and demonstrations will include quilt blocking, how to do laundry with a washboard and ringer, how to plant flowers, how to make a rag doll, how to cook with cast iron and a fire pit and how to make butter. In addition, this historic home museum will be open for tours.

The celebration of Dayton's heritage will also take place at the Historic Dayton Depot, at 222 E. Commercial Street, from 1-4 p.m. and free of charge. Folk artists will perform on the depot court yard. Visitors can expect to participate in various arts and crafts. Learn how to make bobbin lace. Watch wool spun into yarn. A master weaver will demonstrate. Discover the old craft of string art. See beads become a beautiful ornament. Observe fine embroidery. And witness old fashioned soap demonstrations.

And don't miss out on Blue Mountain Station's opening of the summer season. Saturday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., guests can take part in the public market and family-friendly activities at the artisan food center, located on the corner of Highway 12 and Wagon Road just west of Dayton. The fun will include arts, crafts, specialty foods, fresh produce, live music, and kids' activities.