Huckleberry Festival hosts 5K race, music, and family fun

WALLACE — It’s known as the state fruit of Idaho and, in addition to being a tasty summer treat, it’s also the berry that launched a local festival.

In Wallace this weekend, the humble huckleberry takes center stage as Wallace’s Annual Huckleberry Festival and 5K gets underway. Hoping to pull a crowd in the thousands for the two-day festival, Huckleberry Festival event director Emma Stayduhar said “we want to showcase downtown Wallace.”

This year, the schedule was changed from Friday and Saturday to Saturday and Sunday, with the race being hosted on Sunday, allowing leeway for event preparations. Starting the festivities on Saturday may also be a boon for turnout.

“Oftentimes, on Friday, it wasn’t very busy for vendors, and we figured we’d get more tourists in town, and more people have time off if we have it on the weekend,” Stayduhar said.

This is the 38th year of the festival and the assembled offerings have a little bit of something for everyone, whether it be live music, kids' activities, the competition of the 5K race an, of course, all kinds of huckleberry snacks to try at the "Center of the Universe” in downtown Wallace. Racers, roughly 250, have registered, but Stayduhar foresees last-minute additions. The 2022 race had about 300 participants.

Members of the Wallace Elks Lodge are hosting the huckleberry pancake breakfast, which should prove to be a fortifying start to the festivities on Sunday.

“There’s also going to be a blow-up adventure zone bouncing castle extravaganza at the (Northern Pacific) Depot lawn,” Stayduhar said.

Huckleberry Festival schedule

Saturday, Aug. 19

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. food and merchandise vendors open (downtown)

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Adventure Zone: kids play area (Depot lawn)

10 a.m. - 9 p.m. music (main stage 6th and Cedar)

Sunday, Aug. 20

7 - 8:45 a.m. race check-in (Wallace Elks)

7:30 - 11 a.m. huckleberry pancake breakfast (Wallace Elks)

9 a.m. fun run starts (Wallace Elks)

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. music (main stage 6th and Cedar)

9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. adventure zone: kids play area (Depot lawn)

9 a.m. - 3 p.m. food and merchandise vendors open (downtown)

11:30 a.m. race winners announced (main stage at 6th and Cedar)

Musical acts:

Saturday Aug.19

10 to 11:30 a.m.: Johnny McGee

noon to 3 p.m.: T & Company

3:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Kyle Swafford

7 to 10 p.m.: Sverwood

Sunday Aug. 20

9:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Tim Snodgrass

12 to 3 p.m.: Cosmic Wagon

For information about the festival, visit www.wallacehuckfest.com.