The online “Iowa Festivals Guide” indicates hundreds of community celebrations have been scheduled during the summer of 2026, and more than a dozen are this weekend.
That includes one organized by a volunteer fire department that serves a community of about 300 residents. Peterson Fire Days start today with a street dance and a movie night, followed by Saturday morning’s parade, a corn hole tournament with cash prizes and — for the first time ever — chicken bingo. Fire Chief Luke Zalaznik said there will be a grid laid out on the ground from 4 ’til 8 p.m. Saturday. “Basically we’ll have a little raffle there on where the chicken is going to do his thing and, of course, there will be prizes and payback for the winner on that,” Zalaznik said. “It’s going to be a good time.”
Estherville’s “Sweet Corn Days” got underway Thursday with an official “burning of the cobs” and they’ll start serving free sweet corn at noon on Saturday. Lexie Ruter, executive director of the Estherville Area Chamber of Commerce, said there’s a free movie in the park tonight and tomorrow there’s a parade, a mud volleyball tournament for adults and a lot of kids’ activities, too. “We’ve got a bubble person coming in. They do all these hands-on giant bubbles, putting kids in bubbles, making all sorts of bubbles, the kids get to do it themselves, plus a bubble show,” Ruter said. “…We’ve got seven giant inflatables, a $15 wrist band to play on those all afternoon.”
Heritage Days are underway in Forest City, with Civil War reenactments scheduled this weekend, plus special events are being planned to honor Desert Storm and Afghanistan veterans. Riley Lewis with the Winnebago County Historical Society said a Huey helicopter is on its way to Forest City. “Everybody in Forest City will probably know that the helicopter is in town when a Huey is in-bound, with their blades pounding,” Lewis said. “They will be coming midafternoon.”
Other town festivals scheduled for this weekend include the Biz Jazz Festival in Davenport and Operation T-Bone in Audubon.
