FAIRMONT – After a year of planning, decision-making and setup, Interlaken Heritage Days (IHD) is fleshed out and ready to go for another year.

To start with on Thursday, June 11, IHD is working with the Lions Club on a fundraiser for the heritage days by having Beatles tribute band A Hard Day’s Night perform at the Fairmont High School Performing Arts Center starting at 7 p.m..

IHD Committee Vice President Dustin Tino said they partner up with a lot of committees to get IHD put together, but this is a new elevation of collaboration.

“I don’t know if we’ve partnered up on this scale where they’re having a whole concert,” he said. “I think that’s something neat.”

When it comes to what they bring in, Tino said it helps having a committee full of people to put it together.

“We’ve got a couple people from different backgrounds,” he said. “We get different input. I have young kids, and so I’m always like, ‘What kind of things would my kids enjoy? What kind of things would I like?’ You hear things from the community of like, ‘Hey, I really think this would be cool. Hey, have you ever tried karaoke? We take that and see if it’s manageable; we put it all together.”

While the community meal, being held this year from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 12, at Heritage Acres, isn’t new, Tino said they are integrating karaoke from Butch and Friends into it this year to see how it pans out.

“I’m really excited for Friday at the community meal to see if people want to karaoke,” he said. “I’m so curious to see. I’m not a karaoke person, but I’m excited to root for people and see friends and neighbors jump up on stage and sing.”

The big day on Saturday has three brand new events, all at Gomsrud Park. One is a Wow Mobile Metal Lab, which will allow people to make metal sculptures or wearables on a bus. Another is a Reptile Adventure Zoo.

“Kids get to look at different reptiles and snakes and hold them, and they do an educational presentation,” Tino said.

The third new event is the Circus Science Spectacular, which Tino said takes a new approach to teaching and exploring science with training from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey.

“They’re trying to teach science in a more exciting and circus fashion,” he said.

By rotating events out and bringing new ones in, Tino said it’s nice to mix things up so there’s something for everyone.

“We try to get something from every age group, every adult and different perspective,” he said. “I’m always impressed by when I hear people from other towns. I’ve heard people that come down all the way up from northern Minnesota, the Bemidji area. It’s a neat thing that brings a lot of people to come and visit Fairmont.”

After years where it has been canceled due to inclement weather, Tino said the street dance will now become the community dance and be held at the Martin County Arena from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday.

“We’ve tried it at the park and we’ve done it [as a] street dance, but now we’re going to try it at the community arena,” he said. “We’ve had to cancel because of the rain a couple times, and so we’re having it at the arena. It’s a nice big venue, and it should be really great. Working with the fair has been really nice, too.”

As the opening day of IHD draws closer, Tino said he hopes all the hard work they’ve put in helps people kick off the summer season.

“I think this is a great thing that the community comes to and pulls people in, not only from our city but our county and farther out,” he said. “It’s a neat thing to see people from all around come and just relax and enjoy. In some ways it’s the kickoff to summer. You get ready, you’re done with school, and now you’re ready for summer to begin.”

For more information, visit ihdfairmont.org or facebook.com/ihdfairmont/.