The Navy Bean Fall Festival will be held in downtown Rising Sun and the beautiful Riverfront Park, Friday, October 10 from 5 to 10 pm and Saturday, October 11 from noon to 10 pm.

The City of Rising Sun is celebrating its Bicentennial year and the festival committee is gearing up for a Grand Bicentennial Celebration. Beans, Bands and the Bicentennial Parade will be at the top of the festivities.  Shown to the left is “1964” The Tribute, the festival’s premier entertainment act.  (More details appear later in the article.)

The Bean Soup Committee will serve 310 gallons of homemade navy bean soup and plenty of cornbread muffins. Soup sales will take place in the bean tent Friday night and both Saturday afternoon and evening. Picnic tables will be available all along the riverfront for dining.

The Bicentennial Parade will take place on Saturday at 10:30 am. Several entries include floats with Bicentennial themes. This year’s Grand Marshall is P.G. Gentrup of Rising Sun. P.G. is the Ohio County Veterans Service Officer and is being honored for his continuous work with local and area veterans. P.G., his wife Paula and their family will be riding on the Bicentennial float. At 4 pm, P.G. will assist the Rising Sun American Legion as they honor local veterans.

This year’s festival Main Stage entertainment theme for the Bicentennial is “Music Through The Decades.”  A variety of musical acts will take you back to celebrate the music from the 40’s through today.

Friday’s music will kick off at 6:30 pm with the Scallywags. The Scallywags is a high energy band that plays a mix of country, rock and their own original songs. The band is based out of Aurora and is popular in the Tri-State area.

At 8:30 pm, After Midnight will rock the riverfront. After Midnight is a popular Cincinnati-based 1970’s tribute band.

The Ladies of Liberty perform at noon on Saturday. This is a singing troupe dedicated to performing the Andrews Sisters’ style of music through their own rendition of vocals, hairstyles, costumes and the spirit of patriotism reminiscent of the 1940s.

At 2:15 pm, Mike Davis will take the stage as Today’s Elvis. At 5:45 pm, the husband and wife country duo, Cook and Belle, will perform. Cook and Belle have performed at several festivals and venues along with their son Seth Cook.

The Motown Sounds of Touch will begin the Saturday evening entertainment at 7:30 pm. The group was voted a top 3 finalist on the popular NBC TV show “THE WINNER IS!” hosted by Cincinnati’s own Nick Lachey. Touch is the top Motown sound tribute in the country entertaining audiences with their energetic dance steps and colorful outfits for over 15 years. Touch members have also written songs for The Jackson Five and Michael Jackson. 

With Motown Records celebrating 50 years of great music, this is “the” act for all Motown loving people to see.  The band is from Dayton, Ohio and they have shared the stage with Rick Springfield, The Temptations, Lou Gramm/Foreigner, Al Green, The Spinners, Night Ranger, Eddie Money and the Legendary Ray Charles just to name a few.  

“1964” The Tribute is this year’s premier Main Stage entertainment and will perform on Saturday starting at 9:30 pm.  Since the early eighties, “1964” has been thrilling audiences around the globe by taking them on journey through a quintessential moment in music history that will live forever.

Over twenty years of researching and performing have made “1964” masters of their craft. They are hailed by critics and fans alike as the most authentic and endearing Beatles tribute which has earned them the distinction from Rolling Stone Magazine as the “Best Beatles Tribute on Earth.” 

“1964” recreates an early ‘60s live Beatle concert with period instruments, clothing, hairstyles and onstage banter with an accuracy that is unmatched. Members are: Mark Benson as John Lennon, Graham Alexander as Paul McCartney, Tom Work as George Harrison and Bobby Potter as Ringo Starr.  The group has played to sold out shows at Carnegie Hall and Red Rocks many times.   

All Main Stage festival music is sponsored by the City of Rising Sun and is free of charge. Please bring a lawn chair for seating at the Main Festival Stage. Picnic tables are available for those who cannot carry a lawn chair on a first come, first serve basis.

Also of note, on Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm, Richard Scott will be in concert at Heritage Hall on Main Street. This show is sponsored by the Waters of Rising Sun. Seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. Admission is free.

Come see Barney Fife, Enjoy Unspeakable, a Silly Safari Show and Magic by Daniel Lusk.  Ride the Ferris wheel or the carousel.

Need to burn some calories before you enjoy a bowl of bean soup and festival food?  The Rising Sun United Methodist Church is sponsoring a 5K Run/Walk at 8 am on Saturday. Visit navybean5@yahoo.com for more info.

For a complete list of sponsors, entertainment and event times, please visit the festival website at navybeanfestival.org. In addition to the free music, there is no admission fee for the festival and parking is free on the streets and in the lots of downtown Rising Sun.