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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – After years of putting on its tasty competition in Fire at the Foothills, the Kiwanis Club of Chelsea is changing gears to bring a new staple to the city in the Chelsea Kiwanisfest.

The first annual Chelsea Kiwanisfest is set for Saturday, April 26 at Melrose Park, allowing both residents and guests in the city to meet up for an afternoon and enjoy the spring weather while having fun from noon to 4 p.m.

“The Kiwanis Club, for many years, has run Fire at the Foothills, which was a barbecue cookoff, which raised money for all these charities,” said Scott Weygand, member of the Kiwanis Club Chelsea and Chelsea City Councilmember. “We’ve ended that. The attendance was starting to fall off at Fire at the Foothills, so we’ve decided to reboot it and we came up with Kiwanisfest.”

Kiwanisfest will be a music festival with live music playing throughout the afternoon. Tyler Holmes will open the entertainment, while Nacho Daddy plays as the headline. Nacho Daddy is a party Rock n’ Roll cover band based out of Birmingham, Alabama, that plays a variety of rock hits from a number of artists and bands from throughout the years.

In addition, Kiwanisfest will also feature a number of food trucks and vendors for attendees to buy goods from and grab a bite to eat over the course of the afternoon. Kids will have the luxury of making their way over to the playground that is available at the park as well.

Weygand expressed his excitement for the event and what it has to offer, stating that he anticipates a great atmosphere and that he is ready to see Melrose Park be utilized to the fullest for the first time.

“I’m excited because this is the first time anybody has really utilized Melrose Park,” Weygand said. “It’s always been the vision of the (Chelsea City) Council to have a stage out there so you can do little concerts in the park type of things. The Kiwanis Club partnered with commissioner Robbie Hayes and the Shelby County Commission, and they are providing a real stage so that we can try this out for the community. It’s basically going to be a band party and a family-friendly atmosphere.” 

In order to put on this event, the Kiwanis Club of Chelsea partners with a number of organizations to help get materials in the places they need to be. The club partners with the city, just like at Fire at the Foothills, while also joining with the county and other local businesses.

Weygand hopes that those who choose to attend Kiwanisfest will embrace the entertainment that is provided, feeling that this event will create newfound memories that can be looked back on.

“I hope (the attendees) take away a lot of fun memories and meet their friends out there and play and sit around and listen to good music, eat good food and just soak up the city of Chelsea and have fun,” Weygand said.

The Chelsea Kiwanisfest is free of charge to attend and will be open to all ages, welcoming residents from Chelsea and abroad.