By Craig Horleman

DOVER — After taking the reins of Dover Days, downtown’s staple festival, in 2019, Chris Cooper finally got to see his hard work pay off last year.

Canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and called off in 2022 because of monsoonlike conditions, Dover Days went off without a hitch last May, much to the Festival Committee president’s delight.

“I think last year went really well. I think coming back from two years of COVID and then one year of gale-force winds, I think the committee and the community bounced back really well,” Mr. Cooper said this week.

“The weather was perfect. Hopefully, some of that carries over to this year.”

As of Tuesday, it looked promising, with only a slight chance of afternoon showers and a high temperature in the low 60s Saturday.

He said Dover Days 2023 was a mix of fun and work.

“I didn’t get to do as much as I wanted to on the day of. I started out the morning with the parade with the different groups, and that was a bit of a challenge. But we got through that. And then, when I got to the festival, one of my big goals was to walk through the booths and say hi to every vendor and say, ‘Thanks for coming. We really appreciate it.’ And I think I got about 40% of the way through,” he said.

“Different little things here and there kind of pulled me away from it. But that was one of my big goals for last year, and hopefully, I can actually accomplish that this year. It was awesome to actually do the festival as opposed to just try to do it. So, we were happy to have it back, for sure.”

This time around, Dover Days festivities start Friday night with a fireworks display at dusk on Legislative Mall, preceded by the Milford Community Band playing patriotic favorites from 7-8:30 p.m.

Plus, there will be a free lantern tour of The Green at 7 and an assortment of food trucks.

The 91st year of the festival gets underway in earnest Saturday, with the traditional parade at 9 a.m.

Unlike last year when water main construction forced a detour in the usual route, the procession will be back to its normal journey: It lines up at Central Middle School on Delaware Avenue and begins at Hazel Road and North State Street, continuing down State Street. The review stand will be at South State and Loockerman streets.

Reviewers will include Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen, local celebrities and Dover Air Force Base wing commanders, all in period clothing.

But there will be one change to the parade this year.

“During check-in, I’m funneling everybody down to Kent Avenue in front of the Murphey School and then coming across that front driveway at Central Middle. A while back, when I just did the parade, you had people coming in from three different directions. And so, this year, I’m having them come through that front drive of CMS, and then, when they get to the auditorium, they’ll either turn left if they’re dropping somebody off, or they’ll go straight and then turn right onto Pennsylvania to come down through for the lineup,” Mr. Cooper said.

“So, I think it will hopefully streamline things a little bit and make everything a little bit nicer.”

On Tuesday, he said he had just shy of 100 entries for the parade, which is up a bit from 2023. In addition to bands, it will include floats and displays from local organizations, businesses, schools, veterans, churches, political candidates and elected officials.

The day then moves toward The Green for a host of booths, activities, food trucks and fun.

New this year, historical reenactors, led by local historian Tom Welch, will march in the parade and present a 1 p.m. program on stage on The Green, then roam the festival and interact with the attendees.

“I think the more we can make Dover Days like a mini Williamsburg, I think that’s really the genesis of what Dover Days is. It’s all about the history. It’s all about the past and celebrating it. So, when Tom Welch explained this to us, we were super excited about it,” Mr. Cooper said.

Others displays will include The Wheelmen historical bikes; woodworking and Colonial trapper demonstrations; Dover-area World War II heroes; the Diamond State Lacemakers making bobbin lace; and Lenape Tribe presentations about the Native American culture.

The gathering will also include 150 vendors on State Street with activities for children and families, like inflatable bounce houses; a tethered hot air balloon; sandcastle building; balloon animal makers; street performers with juggling, balance and antics; water gun games; and trackless train rides.

And the ever-popular maypole dancing by area middle school students will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., also on The Green.

Additionally, anyone interested in antique and restored autos can visit a car show presented by local clubs.

“When (Dover Days) was on the Legislative Mall, on one hand, it was awesome. But, on the other hand, you kind of lost a little bit of that celebration of history, and I think that we, as board members, would also like to grow it. Maybe not back to that scale, but certainly back towards that scale to make it as beneficial for everyone. But we want to make sure we keep a hold of that history celebration in the process, and we don’t get back to just a festival,” Mr. Cooper said.

Another slight alteration from last year will be the teardown time for vendors.

“The festival ends at 3 p.m., and no cars are allowed to come in for vendors to pick up their tents and tables and stuff until 3:30. We did that for safety concerns. So, I guess that’s probably the biggest change. We’re changing the time in the interest of safety and efficiency for our vendors and our guests, to try and make (it) flow a little bit better,” he said.

Aside from logistics, he said longtime eventgoers will see little discrepancy from previous Dover Days.

“It’s a 91-year-old festival. I didn’t take this position to reinvent the wheel. I took it to get it back up and going and have a good time. And we’ve done that for the last couple of years anyway,” Mr. Cooper said.

He credits the work of event and sponsor coordinator Ron Barisano for that.

“I can’t say enough positive things about Ron and his organizational skills and his leadership and his willingness to help and make this a success,” Mr. Cooper said.

The official 2024 Dover Days program is published by the Daily State News. It can be found at the festival and at baytobaynews.com/specialsections. It includes a full schedule; parade and event map; an interview with the cover’s artist; and comprehensive details.