Nickle Dickle Day is just around the corner, and it’s a day in Waconia when the excitement, celebration, and community spirit fill the streets.
Saturday, September 19, marks the 65th annual Nickle Dickle Day, and we have an exciting celebration planned with something for everyone to enjoy.
40th Annual Car Show
Nickle Dickle Day is celebrating a major milestone with 65 years of fun and community, but so is the Car Show! This is the 40th year that Mike Keaveny, longtime community champion, has led the Nickle Dickle Antique and Collector Car and Truck Show—and every year he continues to bring in car enthusiasts from all over the country to a celebration that keeps getting bigger and better.
Youth Makers Market
New this year is our Youth Makers Market! This special area will be designated for kids and teens, ages 5-17, who would like a chance to sell their handmade creations and homemade goods—and experience what it’s like to run a business. You’ll find these young innovators in the Gather and Grow parking lot. Booth registration fees will be donated to Gather and Grow Food Shelf.
Nickle Dickle Favorites
All of our time-honored favorites will also be back: hockey shoot-a-puck, kids’ DJ entertainment and demos in the park, and the energetic duck races. You’ll also find a Kid Zone in the street with mechanical bull rides, fire truck tours, and more; incredible shopping and sidewalk sales; a 3-on-3 basketball tournament; and the popular Medallion Hunt for all our treasure hunters in town, with clues published in the Waconia Patriot leading up to the event.
Since the early 1960s, this event has served as both a celebration of local business and the chamber’s largest fundraiser of the year. Originally a sidewalk sale to promote local spending and keep downtown vibrant, many items sold for only a nickel. ‘Dickle,’ derived from a German word for bartering, was then added. Today, that same energy and local heritage are stronger than ever.
Downtown Waconia will come alive with deals, entertainment, and family fun, but not before the weekend kicks off with the Nickle Dickle Day Eve Street Dance on Friday, September 18, with Gen X Jukebox taking center stage.
The Waconia Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a huge thank you to all who participated in the planning of the 65th annual Nickle Dickle Day. Numerous committees, organizations, and individuals are essential to making this day possible.
And thank YOU for joining the community in celebration. We look forward to seeing you downtown on Nickle Dickle Day as we celebrate 65 years of tradition, community, and fun together.