Derby Days: frogs, races and fun

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Yamhill’s annual festival, Derby Days, will return Friday and Saturday, July 17-18, with all the usual fun and frogs.

A frog jumping contest is one of the highlights of the festival, which is built around a derby car race and also includes a parade, music, bingo, auctions and other activities. Most are in Beulah Park, with the parade running from Yamhill Carlton High School to the park via Highway 47 through the center of town.

This year’s theme is “Tiger Pride,” a nod to the local school mascot, the Tigers.

Derby Days has been a Yamhill tradition since the 1950s, when T&E General Store started it to celebrate its anniversary. The derby car races were so popular, they were scheduled again the next year. Now, generations of local families have built and raced cars down the steep ramp in Beulah Park.

This year’s Derby Days festival will open Friday afternoon with the coronation of the Derby Days ambassadors’ court at 6:30 p.m. Ambassadors are Aubrey Mortimore, Saige Hinckley and Johnny Hernandez-Rubio.

Live music will follow the coronation. Vendor booths will open in the park at 4 p.m. Derby racers will have a practice session from noon to 4.

On Saturday, the parade will wind through town starting at 10 a.m. Entries will line up at YC High starting at 9.

After the parade, the action will return to the park. Vendors will open at 11 a.m., selling food, beverages, craft items and souvenirs. A beer garden will be set up for those 21 and older.

The silent auction will begin at 11:30. Proceeds go to the Yamhill Community Club, which organizes Derby Days and cares for Beulah Park.

The park will have an area reserved for young children, with games and activities.

At noon, there will be a patriotic flag raising ceremony.

Derby car races will start at 12:30 p.m. for children 8 to 11 years of age. Crowds always gather around the track, which is surrounded by hay bales to cushion any cars that can’t stop.

A live auction will start at 2 p.m. Bingo will be played all afternoon.

The frog jumping event will begin at 3 p.m. Youth must bring their own frogs and encourage them to leap as far as possible.

A tricycle race, for both children and adults, will start at 4:30 p.m.

Live music will finish the evening starting at 7 p.m.