BOOMTOWN FESTIVAL Celebrates Its Diamond Anniversary, in Shasta Lake City, on Saturday, May 2, 2026

Boomtown Museum officials, Darlene Brown, Mary Hale, and Ed Hackworth.

Like exciting parades? Craft fairs?  Live music by four bands? Food trucks? Pancake breakfast? Beer trucks?  Claire Engel Park party?   So if the answer is…..YES!…..to all-of-the-above, then you, your family, and your friends shouldn’t have missed the 75th-annual BOOMTOWN FESTIVAL, organized by a small group of dedicated volunteers that make up the Shasta Damboree Committee.  All of this fun and frivolity, plus a knock-out parade organized by Shasta Damboree Committee member Karen Butler McCrary, happened on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in the City of Shasta Lake, California, 96019.

Kyle Turner (far right), Superintendent of the Gateway Unified School District, announces the parade while Central Valley High School graduates Mike Deay (1970), Valerie Cantwell (1972), and Rhonda Ramsel (1972) volunteer their expertise.

BOOMTOWN FESTIVAL activities commenced at 7 a.m., with a three-hour pancake breakfast at the Shasta Lake Fire Station, 4126 Ashby Court.  After that, there was ample time to find that favorite location, on Shasta Dam Boulevard, to watch the boffo BOOMTOWN FESTIVAL parade, which started at 10 a.m.

Leanne Westphal, left, named the Shasta Lake Person-Of-The-Year, with fellow Shasta Dam Kiwanis members, Roy R., Teanna H., and Lynn M.

Shasta Damboree President, Brian Hargrave.

After the parade, which was primarily organized by Shasta Damboree Committee member Debra Butler and featured several dozen entries, Boomtown Festival attendees gathered to visit the many vendors that lined the perimeter of Claire Engel Park. Throughout the day, beginning at 11:00 a.m. and ending at 8 o’clock that night, there were four bands that performed on the Sierra Pacific Stage, including Silver Hawk, Sweet Revenge, The Billies, and Serena Karese.

City of Shasta Lake Mayor, Justin Jones, with Karen Butler, Damboree Chair of the Boomtown Festival parade.

“The Shasta Damboree Committee, which began as a non profit in 1951, is always thrilled to be heavily involved with bringing the Boomtown Festival to fruition,” said Shasta Damboree president, Brian Hargrave, “And this year’s “diamond anniversary edition” of the Boomtown Festival was especially gratifying to the 15 members of the Shasta Damboree Committee:  Denise Benoit; Samantha Bianchini; Valerie Cantrell; Brian Hargrave; Richard Hargrave; Emily Hawk; Joyce Ide; Kami Ide; Ken Kelley; Shawna LaBella; Nina Markham; Karen Butler McCrary; Alicia Pizano and Mark Rader.” 

Shasta County Sheriff, Mike Johnson, with Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputies, Josh Plummer, Joshua Sipola, and Andrew Young. 

The Shasta Boomtown Festival Parade Grand Marshal is the Central Valley High School Robotics Team.