After the huge success of last year’s greatly expanded and enhanced Giant Days, this year is being touted once again as the biggest and best party in town.

Giant Days 2022 is going to be held on Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, and you are not going to want to miss any of it.

The Giant celebration starts off on Friday evening, July 8, with a party at Giant Park from 5-9 p.m. It will include a Giant Fundraiser Dinner, Super Hero Training 5-6 p.m. and Super Hero Meet and Greet 6-7 p.m.

The KBEW Dance DJs will provide music and games from 7-9 p.m. at Giant Park.

Meanwhile, there will also be a party on Friday evening in downtown Blue Earth. There will be a Beer Garden downtown, with musical entertainment on the Main Street Stage from 5 p.m.-12 a.m. It will be Steele Prairie from 6-8 p.m. and Lunatics Anonymous from 9-12 p.m., both on the Main Street Stage.

There will also be bouncy houses, food vendors and food trucks nearby.

And, of course, as every year, fireworks will be shot off at dusk, east of the BEA High School, and will be visible from Giant Park and other areas nearby. The fireworks are sponsored by Bevcomm and First Bank Blue Earth.

Saturday, July 9, there will be events at both the fairgrounds and downtown.

At the Faribault County Fairgrounds on Saturday there will be the annual Giant Classic Car Show running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is from 8 a.m. to noon.

The Trinity Lutheran Church Fair Stand will also be open starting at 8 a.m., and the Faribault County Historical Society will be holding their annual Pie & Ice Cream Social from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Veterans Memorial Building at the fairgrounds.

The big event on Saturday is the Giant Days Parade and it is at a brand new time this year – starting at 10 a.m. The route will be similar to last year, but please make note of the time change.

Another special new event on Saturday will be at the Blue Earth Community Library and Fossil Discovery Center, when new Wall Art will be dedicated at 12:30 p.m., with special guest Minnesota author William Kent Krueger.

Other Saturday events scheduled for downtown include a petting zoo from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. sponsored by the Business Improvement Committee (BIC). There will be pony rides and laser tag running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. sponsored by Thrivent. The bouncy houses will be open all day.

There will also be a 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament downtown running from 4-8 p.m. Also, check out the Garden Tours at both 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The tours start at the first garden stop at 204 S. Circle Drive.

There will be lots of entertainment on the Main Street Stage on Saturday, starting at noon with ‘The Real Forest Gump.’ American war hero and Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis will speak about his acts of bravery and heroism in the Vietnam War.

Davis’ visit is sponsored by Rural Renaissance Project.

At both 1 and 4 p.m. there will be a magician performing on the stage.

From 2-5 p.m. it is Brett Feist performing, from 6-8 p.m. Sawyer’s Dream hits the stage and from 8:30-12 p.m. it will be Weekend Rockstar.

Plus, various food vendors and food trucks will be located downtown during the day and evening, as well as the Beer Garden being open.