Monroe prepares to celebrate heritage with festival

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The city of Monroe will celebrate its heritage during the 112th annual Old Settlers Day, which kicks off Friday. Highlighting the two-day event is Terry Lee Goffee with a Tribute to Johnny Cash. Goffee will perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night in the park on the square. "I have been a fan of Johnny Cash since I was 6 or 7. He and Elvis were my first two musical influences. I always felt Johnny's music got better, after Elvis came out of the Army, Elvis got so caught up doing movies and sound tracks. Johnny appealed to me more. Johnny Cash addressed a lot of issues common to a lot of people, whether it was sensitive social issues or something the average person can relate to,” Goffee said of why he decided to do a tribute to “The Man in Black.” Goffee will perform Cash classics including “A Boy Named Sue,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “I Walk the Line,” “Ring Of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Hurt.” Along with the entertainment Saturday night, organizers have planned events for all ages during Friday and Saturday. The celebration begins at 6 p.m. Friday with the children’s parade, followed by a cheerleaders’ performance at 6:15, Jazz Creations performing at 6:30 with parade winners announced at 6:45. Also taking place at 7 p.m. Friday is the home run derby at Madsen Field, the Fireman’s Water Fights, a cloggers’ performance on the park stage and night volleyball. At 8 p.m. LS Big Band will perform big-band era music. The second day of the celebration starts bright and early with the Methodist Church pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. and registration for the Micro Marathon Run and Walk. The marathon begins at 8 a.m. A horseshoe pitch contest begins at 8 a.m. followed by children’s sports and a sand volleyball tournament at 9 a.m. Saturday. More fun continues with a pitch tournament at 10 a.m. and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at 10:30. Also at 10:30 a.m. is the children’s money toss, followed by the frog jump at 11. The Old Settlers Days parade will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday. Registration starts at 6 p.m. at the PCM High School. The parade starts at the high school, proceeds north on Highway 14, turns left at the Methodist Church, goes to the elementary school, past the Redemption Center, then to the south side of the square and then turns south on Highway 14 to go back to the high school. Three prizes will be awarded in each of the following categories: Most Humorous; Best Miscellaneous; Vintage Vehicles; Best Church, Group, Organization, or Business. First prize in each category is $75, second prize is $50 and third prize is $25. Following the parade, Kiwanis Award will be presented at 8 p.m., followed by Goffee’s performance. At 9:30 p.m. raffle and parade winners will be announced.