Community members, local businesses, and organizations are what make the “Heart Beat of Columbus” for Columbus Junction’s annual Columbus Day Celebration.

This is the 60th year of the event, which will include a parade, 5K run, children’s carnival, car show, and several other activities.

Mayor Dan Wilson will present the 2017 Distinguished Citizen Awards to Twyla Peters, Char Mendenhall, Todd Heck, and Liz Duncan. Columbus Day organizer Aimee Buol explains the tradition, “It’s our honor as Columbus Junction citizens to honor these citizens who have put in all this time and effort and care. We like to choose citizens who are doing that and this year our theme of Columbus Day is the “Heart Beat of Columbus” and so four of those distinguished citizens have put in a lot of time, kind of in the medical field for Columbus Junction, so we’re honoring them this year.”

A new event for this year’s festival is the BBQ Cook-Off Fundraiser being held at Louisa County Ambulance. The organization is raising funds for new training equipment and uniforms for its volunteers. The cook off will go from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The KCII Big Red Radio will be broadcasting live from Columbus Day in Columbus Junction.