The 2024 Bell Tower Festival saw cooler temperatures which generated hundreds of people to the downtown square in Jefferson this past weekend.

After high winds delayed the start of the free family festivities on Thursday, several kids enjoyed the inflatables and the foam party, while also watching the free movie with “The Little Giants.” Then on Friday was the Opening Ceremonies and this year’s Bell Tower of Fame award went to Susan Kundrat, who is a 1984 Jefferson High School graduate, a dietitian and published the book, “Eat Move Groove: Unlock the Simple Steps to Lifelong Nutrition, Fitness and Wellness.”

Kundrat explained her initial reaction when she found out that she was selected to receive this distinguished honor.

“Well honestly I was shocked because growing up in Jefferson, the Bell Tower Festival has always been such a big deal to me. And I’ve heard countless people come back and talk about their lives. So it’s really an honor to be chosen this year and to be here.”  

Additionally, on Friday there was  a new event of the Tower Toss Giveaway and Samantha Busch won $1,000 for successfully tossing a bell closest to the bullseye of a target 42 feet in the air. The Puzzle Challenge was won by Jill Johnson, Nhan Nguyen, Sam Robinson and Corey Gohn. They consumed a large pizza, 12 pack of beverages and finished a 500 piece puzzle the quickest. 

Then on Saturday, the parade brought nearly 85 entries and there were several award winners. Receiving best thematic, with this year’s theme of “Go for Gold” was Abundance Life Ministries, best commercial was Tom’s Taxi, best non-commercial was the Jefferson Public Library and getting the overall parade award was Home State Bank. The 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament champions were Simeon Lang, Bryce Stalder, and Brynley Ruzicka. The Ding Dong Dash had Tyler Hostetler with the fastest time to complete a 10k in 38: 58. The quickest 5k time was Brady Christensen at 18:13. 

Check out photos from this year’s Bell Tower Festival by clicking the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=RaccoonValleyRadio&set=a.968266431976226