The Danish Villages of Elk Horn and Kimballton are celebrating the 34th annual Tivoli Fest this weekend. The theme this year is “Denmark on the Prairie, Let the Festivities Begin.” Tivoli Fest begins at 8-am Saturday, with the M & M 5k Fun Run. Registration is held at the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn. The race ends at the Little Mermaid Fountain in Kimballton.

Lisa Riggs from the Danish Windmill says there is something new this year at Tivoli. “We are hosting the Iowa Craft beer tent which is a large trailer that boasts and promotes the new phenomenon Iowa Craft beer breweries in Iowa and they also feature Carlsberg beer from Denmark. And that’s going to be at the Elk Horn Fire Station. That opens at 11am on Saturday until midnight.”

The beer tent is a fundraiser for the Elk Horn Fire Department and will be open again on Sunday. Riggs says the children can participate in a new activity as well. (“The Museum of Danish America is having the ringridning bicycle competition. It’s actually used to be in Denmark it is on horse with spears and they go at a fast pace to try to get the spear in a ring and they will do that on bicycles this year.”

The Elk Horn Library is another spot for children as a Life-Size Legoland Game will be set up from noon to 3pm Saturday. All the Danish museums in Elk Horn and Kimballton will be open during the festival and the local restaurants will be serving traditional Danish treats all weekend. The Elk Horn City Park will host the Firemen competition from 2 to 5pm Saturday as well as a volleyball tournament.

Activities for Saturday night include live music, Tivoli Feud and fireworks after dark. On Sunday, Tivoli Fest embarks with the 6th annual Tour De Tivoli. Riggs says “You start out at the Windmill registration at 8am and you go out to Prairie Rose and around through Kimballton. It is a beautiful ride. With the registration, you get a t-shirt, refreshments and an ebleskiver meal goes with the price of admission.”

The Danish festival will wrap up on Sunday at the Veteran’s Memorial Park on Main Street with Run for the Fall and Walk of Honor and Five Star Ceremony at 2-pm. The American Legion Post 322 and the Elk Horn Chapter will present a patriotic ceremony with live music. The Walk of Honor from Little Mermaid Trail from Union Street to the Museum of Danish America will contain pictures of local veterans and their military biographies. The full list of the 2014 Tivoli Fest event can be found online at http://www.danishwindmill.com/.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)