Palmer Celebrates 125 Years!
Palmer, Iowa celebrated 125 Years from July 31 to August 3. The weekend was full of live music performances, the Scott Amusement carnival, and plenty of centennial celebration activities. Their final event on Sunday, a Car Show brought in over 100 cars. The crowd sizes for each day are estimated at 500+ people.
The Celebration kicked off on Thursday, July 31 with a free meal, the carnival being open, live music from the Senders Review, and a beard competition. The beard competition had nearly 40 participants, and the winners are as follows:
Curliest – Barry Aden
Most Distinguished – Al Francis
Well Groomed – Doug Helmers
Ugliest – Mitch Aden
Reddest – Cody Peterson
Grayest – Wayne Aden
Thickest – Marlyn Holtorf
Longest – Bill Booge
People’s Choice – Bob Beneke
“It was a pleasure being part of Palmer’s Celebration!” stated MaryJo Litwiller, Executive Director for Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission. She and her husband had a parade entry to be part of the Celebration. “Congratulations on 125 years!”
The parade on Saturday, August 2, lasted an hour long, with multiple tractors, businesses, and community organization entries. The Wayne Aden family proudly entered 10 tractors, while the Beneke family had a flatbed semi-trailer full of their family members. The Thielmanns, the Duane Aden family, and others also had great floats full of extended family members excited to celebrate Palmer. Family ties and community pride runs deep in the small town!
Ron & Liz Wessels served as the Grand Marshal for the Palmer 125 Celebration. They have lived and served in the Palmer community for decades while operating Wessels Oil Company, which is currently raising the fifth generation of Wessels in the Palmer area.
Palmer Mutual Telephone Company is another long-running business in the Palmer community that had a big presence in the weekend. From helping sponsor activities to marketing the event, these businesses alongside NEW Cooperative made sure to enjoy the weekend and honor the community they exist in!
“The Palmer 125th Celebration was incredibly well organized,” shared Amber Aden, one of the participants throughout the entire weekend. “It was a true tribute to the town’s history and spirit. There was something for all ages, and it was heartwarming to see people from all across the US return to celebrate our small town. It really showed how deep the roots of our community run!”
Palmer is the final of the Centennial Celebrations in Pocahontas County this year. Earlier in the summer, Varina celebrated 125 years as well, and Pocahontas celebrated 155 years – delayed from 2020 due to the pandemic. As for routine summer celebrations, Gilmore City has their Fun Days on August 15 – 17, the Princess City Car Show takes place alongside the Princess City Carnival on August 16, and Fonda concludes the summer with their Labor Day Celebration on August 30 & 31.
Congratulations to the Palmer 125 Celebration Committee on a great weekend of activities!
