Months of hard work and organization come to fruition this weekend during the ninth annual Tonganoxie Days. And one of the best things about the weekend festival, according to organizer Connie Torneden, is it is free.

“All of this doesn’t cost anybody anything,” she said. “They don’t have to pay to park, they don’t have to pay an admission for anything. If they see something they want to buy from a certain booth, that’s all that’s going to cost them.”

Even the dance from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at Shoemaker Auction is free.

Torneden’s been keeping an eye on the weather, hoping the skies are clear for the festival.

“I bet you it’s going to be nice and toasty,” she said. “They say no rain until Sunday. It can rain at five minutes after four o’clock because our dance is going to be indoors.”

Saturday’s action in downtown Tonganoxie gets started when booths open at 9 a.m. They close at 4 p.m.

Nearly 70 spaces along Fourth Street from Shawnee to Delaware streets are spoken for, Torneden said.

“Sometimes we’ll have people just show up that day,” she said. “And so we find them a spot and go from there. We’ve learned to be flexible.”

The booths will feature a wide variety of food, as well as arts and crafts, and collectibles.

Members of the Tonganoxie High School band will sell ice cream in the former Ratliff drug store at the northeast corner of Fourth and Bury streets.

“We want people to stop by for that,” Torneden said.

The annual festival will reach throughout the city. And a shuttle bus will run a route that includes the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds, downtown and VFW Park.

The Leavenworth County State Barbecue Championship will be held at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds. Judging for the contest is at noon Saturday. In addition, a demolition derby is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds.

The Friends of the Library’s 10-kilometer run/5-kilometer walk begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. Musical entertainment will be provided throughout the day downtown. Food, games and children and a pet parade also are planned at the festival, which attracts several thousand people to Tonganoxie.

The Country Cruisers Car Show will be held Saturday at Veterans of Foreign Wars Park, along with the ABATE Motorcycle Show.

Rides again will be offered through the downtown area on a miniature train.

A new event this year a sand volleyball tournament is set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at the new city park on Main Street behind Community National Bank.

“We just keeping our fingers crossed that it all comes like it’s supposed to,” Torneden said.