PALCO — As the Rooks County community of Palco prepares for its 125th anniversary celebration, Mayor Freda Lambert feels fortunate for the growth the community has seen in the last 25 years.
Palco will honor the milestone with a two-day celebration beginning Saturday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new McKenna Youth Center, which features a movie theater, fitness center and rec room.
Lambert said the activities center was made possible by Everett McKenna, who left a large part of his estate to the city of Palco to build and operate the center. The center features a 3D-capable theater that seats 72, a community center with pool tables, foosball and game tables, a fitness center and all-purpose room, kitchen and lounge. Lambert said they will be soon adding a new playground at the youth center.
Also on Saturday, there will be a car show beginning at 11 a.m., with the trophy presentation at 3 p.m.
Other events include a quilt show, painting class and drone demonstration in the afternoon, with all of the activities in the downtown area except the drone demonstration will be at the practice field at the high school.
Three free movies will be shown over the weekend, two on Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. and one Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Saturday also marks the Palco High Alumni Banquet at 6 p.m. and a street dance Saturday night at 8 p.m.
Sunday morning, the Lions Club is hosting a breakfast at 7 a.m. with gospel singing at 9 a.m. The Palco Fire Department will provide lunch at noon, and the weekend will wrap up with a Sunday movie matinee at 2 p.m.
Lambert said the community is excited to host the weekend celebration and said the community continues to grow. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people are expected to attend the celebration.
“We have really built our community up (in the 25 years since the 100th anniversary celebration),” Lambert said.,
The community has added a number of new businesses including a new cafe, filling station and doctor’s office.