Burr Oak Heritage Days Festival

The biggest yearly event in Burr Oak, The Heritage Festival, is one weekend a year when the Burr Oak Area comes together to throw a weekend long event that celebrates the history of the Village. You can find the schedule for this year’s festival below.

Burr Oak Heritage Fest – Day 1
Thursday, July 24, 2025 – 4:00 PM  10:00 PM

4 PM – 8 PM : Cruise In – Cars and Trucks are invited to gather in the Front Street parking lot for a fun social time.

4 PM to 8 PM – Farmer’s Market – The corner of Front and 3rd Streets will have homemade jams, cookies, bread, fudge, pies, and more for sale.

6PM – 8 PM : Brats & Bingo – All ages are welcome to the Community Tent on Front Street with bingo and prizes with a side of brats! Play as many cards as you like, with prizes galore.

8PM – 9 PM : Light Parade Line Up – The lineup for participants of this year’s light parade is at the Front Street Parking Lot by the Gazebo. Create your entry and compete to win the chance to lead the light parade and some donuts! Judging begins at 8:45 P.M.

9 PM – 9:30 PM : Light Parade – The parade will wind through town, and meet up at the Main Street Bridge for the River of Fire. During this time, the parade area will be closed, with parking available at the School.

9:30 PM – 10 PM : River of Fire – Gather at the Main Street Bridge for the National Anthem, and a special kick-off ceremony including a cannon for this year’s Heritage Festival. After the ceremony, you can launch a flame down the river in memory of someone, to celebrate family, or as a symbol of peace. The kick off ceremony for this year’s festival will be held at the Main Street Bridge. With the launching of flames in memory of someone, a family celebration, or a symbol of peace. The flames will be launched after the completion of the National Anthem.

Burr Oak Heritage Fest – Day 2
Friday, July 25, 2025  – 10:00 AM  11:55 PM

10 AM : Antique Tractor Country Cruise – Enjoy a cruise through the beautiful country, with registration in the Railroad Park. If you do not have a tractor, there will be wagon rides available.

11:30 AM to 12 PM : Bike-A-Thon Registration – Register for the Bike-A-Thon at the Church Park. Sponsored by the Burr Oak Mothers’ Club.

12 PM – 1 PM : Bike-A-Thon – The Bike-A-Thon begins in the Church Park.

1:30 PM to 3:30 PM : FREE Kids Day – Games with prizes, pony rides and more activities will be available at Burr Oak Schools.

4 PM to 4:30 PM : FREE Kiddie Duck Derby – Decorate and race a rubber duck at the river behind the school. With prizes as well!

4 PM to 7 PM : Antique Tractors & Wheat Threshing Display – View a variety of tractors from throughout the years, with a demonstration of wheat thrashing in the Railroad Park.

4 PM to 8 PM : Chicken Dinners – Support the BOCS class of 2026 as they host a chicken dinner fundraiser. Tickets can be bought from a member of the class or pre-purchased from Heather at 517-712-2845.

4 PM to 10 PM : A Variety of Food Vendors – Grab a bite to eat at the Front Street Parking Lot.

4:30 PM to 6:00 PM : FREE Spaghetti Dinner – The Missionary Church will be hosting a dinner for all looking to attend.

6:00 PM to 7:00 PM : Variety Show and Outstanding Service Award – A line up of talent that is guaranteed to provide an hour of fun in the air conditioned Lutheran Church.

8 PM to 9 PM : Civil War Re-Enactment – A re-enactment of a Civil War battle will be held at the track by the BOCS Track. This will include cannons and live action. The best viewing area will be in front of the Worden School, on the Main Street bridge, or on the sidewalk by the river.

9 PM to 12 AM – “DJ Sparxx” OTG Entertainment – Ages 21 and up can come to the community tent to dance and hang with friends old and new.

9 PM to 12 AM :  Ghost Tours – Go on a wagon ride to the cemetery for a tour of the graves of Civil War soldiers, with several ghost sightings reported. Sign up at Whiskey Creek and ask for Crystal today. Ages 21 and up can come to the community tent to dance and hang with friends old and new.

Burr Oak Heritage Fest – Day 3
Saturday, July 26, 2025 – 7:30 AM  11:55 PM

7:30 AM to 10:30 AM : Breakfast – Fuel up for the day by attending the breakfast at the Methodist Church.

7:45 AM to 8:15 AM : Sign up for 5k Run – Sign up for the 5k run downtown.

8:30 AM to 9:30 AM : “The Battle at Burr Oak” 5K Run – Gather at the starting line as this year’s participants take part in the 5k run.

8:35 AM to 8:50 AM – Kids’ Fun Run – The kids can run for fun in downtown

9:30 AM : Parade Lineup Begins – Parade line up starts at Boyer Field and is sponsored by the Burr Oak Mother’s Club

11 AM to 12 PM – Parade – Gather from Boyer Field to downtown as this year’s parade passes through town with loads of excitement.

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM : Civil War Re-Enactment – Meet Betsy, the author of “A Long Road to the Circus” , a book that was written about a girl raised in Burr Oak that encounters Madam Marantette and her ostrich Gaucho.

All Day : Old Fashioned Farm Machinery Demonstrations – See the live displays of how old fashioned farm machinery was used in the Railroad Park.

All Day : Food Vendors – Grab a bite to eat all day with the variety of food vendors in the Rail Road Park.

12 PM : Fireman Hotdog Sale – Support the Burr Oak Fire Department as they host a hotdog fundraiser outside of the Fire Station.

12 PM to 1 PM : Adult Corn Hole Tournament – Gather your team and sign up for the corn hole tournament sponsored by Black Gold Farms.

12 PM – 4 PM : Inflatables – Kids can enjoy the variety of inflatables in the Railroad park.

1 PM to 3:30 PM : FREE Tractor Pedal Pulls – Ages 3 -15 can come to the Town Hall/Fire Station to see how far they can get the tractors in this year’s tractor pedal pulls.

1 PM to 4 PM : Historical Burr Oak Tours – Enjoy a historical tour through Burr Oak starting at the Gazebo/Front Street Parking Lot.

1 PM to 5 PM : Car Demolition – Support the Burr Oak NHS Students by grabbing a sledge hammer, a bat, or golf club and swinging away.

1 PM to 5 PM : Adult Corn Hole Tourney – Several teams will compete to see who emerges victorious in this year’s cornhole tournament sponsored by Black Gold Farms.

1 PM to 5 PM : Free Children’s Rides – Children can enjoy a collection of free rides at the Railroad Park.

1 PM to 5 PM – Car Demolition – Support the Burr Oak NHS Students by grabbing a sledgehammer, a bat, or a golf club and swinging away.

1 PM to 5 PM – Adult Corn Hole Tourney – Several teams will compete to see who emerges victorious in this year’s cornhole tournament sponsored by Black Gold Farms.

1 PM to 5 PM – Children’s Rides – FREE – Children can enjoy a collection of free rides at the Railroad Park.

1 to 6 PM – Rock Wall Climb – FREE – All ages can come and climb the rock wall in the Railroad Park.

2:30 PM – 3 P.M. – Register for Mud Volleyball – Registration for Mud Volleyball at the Railroad Park.

2 PM to 3 PM – S.K. Keogh Book Signing – S.K. Keogh is the author of “The Edge Of Hell”, a story of the lives of two brothers from Burr Oak during the Civil War. Get your copy signed or purchase a copy for signing at the Gazebo. “Burr Oak sacrificed so many of its villagers to the war, and I am a better person for having studied its history.” – S.K. Keough.

2 PM to 6 PM – Historical Trivia Challenge – FREE – Compete in a round of trivia with teams of up to 8 about Burr Oak’s History during the Civil War in the Community Tent. Look out for the flyers with the answers to the trivia. Winners will be listed on the Burr Oak History Website as winners of this year’s challenge.

2:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Living History Demonstration – FREE – Yankee soldiers will be hosting a talk about what it was like during the Civil War at the open lot beside Whiskey Creek. See how the soldiers lived and what they ate during the Civil War.

3 PM to 7:30 PM – Mud Volleyball – Watch as several teams battle it out to see who is the best at this year’s Mud Volleyball tournament.

4 PM to 5 PM – Junior Corn Hole Tournament Sign Up – FREE – Register for the Junior Corn Hole tournament at the Basketball Courts.

4 PM to 8 PM – Tethered Hot Air Balloon Ride – View Burr Oak from above in a hot air balloon, located at 217 Eighth Street.

5 PM to 6:30 PM – Junior Corn Hole Tourney – FREE – Register for the Junior Corn Hole tournament at the Basketball Courts.

7:30 PM to 8 PM – Register-Port-A-Potty Pulls – FREE – Registration for both classes of the Port-A-Potty-Pulls begins on Front Street.

8 PM to 8:30 PM – Port-A-Potty Pulls (Youth) – FREE – Gather on Front Street as the youth class competes to see who is the fastest at pulling a port-a-potty.

8:30 PM to 9 PM – Port-A-Potty Pulls (Adult) – FREE – The adults will compete to see which trio can pull a port-a-potty the fastest.

9 PM to 12 PM – “Big Caddy Daddy” – 21+ Come hang out in the community tent and enjoy the performance of “Big Caddy Daddy”

9:30 PM to 10 PM – Balloon Glow – FREE – Gather at the Burr Oak School Playground to enjoy the Balloon Glow and find a spot to view the Fireworks.

10 PM to 10:30 PM – Fireworks – FREE – Enjoy the Fireworks

Burr Oak Heritage Fest – Day 4
Sunday, July 27, 2025 – 10:00 AM  12:00 PM

10 AM to 11 AM : Donuts & Coffee – Come to the Church park for donuts and coffee
11 AM to 12 PM : Community Church Service – The Methodist Church will lead a service for the community, with a luncheon following the service.