The 71st annual Operation T-Bone Days gets underway Friday in Audubon. Prior to last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic, Operation T-Bone had been held for 70 consecutive years to commemorate the town and surrounding area’s ties to the cattle industry. According to T-Bone Committee Member, Derek Deist, many people in the community are glad to have the fun and excitement of the festival back in 2021.
The celebration begins Friday night with a community picnic from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Albert the Bull Park. At 7:30 p.m., the T-Bone races begin in the Audubon County Fairgrounds followed by fireworks at 10 p.m. Saturday’s schedule is packed, starting with breakfast in the Memorial Building from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and yoga in the park and the Operation T-Bone fun run/walk at 8 a.m. Diest says the popular T-Bone parade begins at 1 p.m. with a very special guest at the front of the line.
The late morning and afternoon are filled with food vendors and entertainment, such as face painting, the T-Bone tractor exhibit and live shows on the City Park stage. The final day of the festival itself is Sunday, Aug. 8. Residents are invited to an open house at the fire station, where breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. to raise funds for the all-volunteer department. Deist says Operation T-Bone gets back to its roots every year with the annual fat cattle sale.
Operation T-Bone runs from Friday, Aug. 6 through Sunday, Aug. 8 in Audubon. The full schedule along with event registration information can be found through the link below.
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