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Hometown Festival Week starts Friday night
Rockin Rewey Fireworks is Saturday night
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Southwest Wisconsin’s largest and longest festival, the 17th annual Hometown Festival Week, begins Friday and runs through Saturday, July 25 in Platteville.

The first weekend’s highlight is the sixth annual Hometown Hog Roast at the Pizzeria Uno Back Bar Saturday from 1 to 9 p.m. The event includes the Pig Out Challenge eating contest at 5 p.m., limited to the first 10 entrants, who will try to eat a Milio’s sub, bacon-wrapped cream cheese-filled jalapeños, and a Dairy Queen Dilly Bar. The Hog Roast also includes pig races in Rountree Branch, raffles and other games.

Music includes Swing Crew at 1 p.m., Adam Bartels at 4 p.m., and Takin’ the Fifth at 6 p.m. Winners of the Driftless Summer Ride will be announced during the event.

Tickets are $15, including food and entertainment.

The festival begins Friday with the Walk in the Vineyard at Bauer–Kearns Winery from 4 to 9 p.m.

Events Sunday begin with the Platteville Kiwanis pancake breakfast at Platteville United Methodist Church from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Mitchell–Rountree Stone Cottage will hold an ice cream social from 1 to 4 p.m.

Country Kitchen will host a Historic Re-Enactment fundraiser Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. A portion of bills will be contributed toward the Re-Enactment, held during Platteville Dairy Days in September.

Southwest Health will hold its Berry Fest at Legion Field Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m.

The Platteville Regional Chamber will hold its monthly Business After Hours at Manor Care Wednesday, July 22 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Events Thursday, July 23 begin with the chamber’s Good Morning Platteville at a new location, Mound City Bank, at 7:45 a.m. Featured will be new city manager Karen Kurt, new museum director Diana Bolander, and new Southwest Wisconsin Technical College president Jason Reed.

The chamber’s annual Party in the Park and Salute to Volunteers will be held in City Park from 5 to 8 p.m. The event includes the Platteville Main Street Music in the Park concert, Okham’s Razor, at 6 p.m.

The chamber will hold Katie’s Garden Party in Katie’s Garden, in front of the chamber office, Friday, July 24 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Hometown Festival Week concludes with the annual Festival of the Arts in City Park Saturday, July 25 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hometown Festival Week includes performances of the UW–Platteville Heartland Festival in the UWP Center for the Arts, including “Rapunzel” Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m.; “Mary Poppins” Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 25 at 2 p.m.; and “Cabaret” Friday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call 348-8888 or go to www.platteville.com.

And ... Hometown Festival Week is the area’s longest festival, but it is not the area’s oldest festival this week.

The 159th annual Lafayette County Fair at the fairgrounds in Darlington is taking place through Sunday.

Featured events include tractor pulls Thursday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 6 p.m., stock car racing Friday beginning at 6:30 p.m., and the livestock and cheese auction Saturday at 1 p.m. Events Sunday include lawnmower and ATV pulls at 9 a.m., the sixth annual talent show at 2 p.m., the skid steer challenge at 4 p.m., and gauntlet, crash and trailer races at 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, the annual Rockin’ Rewey Fireworks will be held Saturday, with gates at the ball park opening at 4 p.m.

Activities before the fireworks includes DJ Bob Downs, Black Water Gin from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., a mechanical bull, volleyball and kickball tournaments, and inflatable rides and face painting for kids.