Bonanzaville Hosts Independence Day Celebration

Bonanzaville welcomes the community home to revisit its roots at its annual Independence Day event.

WEST FARGO, N.D. (KVRR)- This year’s theme is a “Carnival”.

Organizers say they switched things up this year and added more flare for the carnival theme.

“We have about nine different games and bouncy type toys for the kids, we’ve got bingo, we’ve got pony rides, we’ve got a small train running through the village,” said Katie Leier, Fargo.

For some like Katie Leier and her dad this event is a family tradition

“Well we’ve been coming out here since I was little I’ve always loved like coming out and seeing pioneer things. I grew up on Little House on the Prairie, so it’s always been fun to come out here and just see it for real. There aren’t a lot of places like this,” said Leier.

Organizers say they did not expect a crowd this size at the event but they are grateful they can provide the community an opportunity to come together and enjoy this experience over the holiday.

“We were hoping for a really good turnout today, it takes us about a year to plan these types of events, we start off planning it slow and we ramp up towards the end,” said Beth Jansen, Director of Bonanzaville.

Lets not forget about the main event within the event.

“We have a traditional two o’clock parade, basically a highlight of the parade is our Steigers, we have four Steiger tractors. Those are always in the parade and then some of our antique vehicles and pretty much whoever wants to come out and be a part of the parade can,” said Jansen.

People say these connections to the past are important for the community’s future.

“I think it’s important, especially like on Independence day to see what the people who built our nation lived like, and what they did, and how hard they worked,” said Leier.