Wilkeson’s Booster Club will celebrate its 40th year of handcar races on Saturday, July 18, with a full day of festivities.

The public is invited to help kick things off by attending the traditional, old-fashioned parade through town. Grand marshals John Hillding and Bill Ostlund, longtime Booster Club members, will lead the parade, which begins at 11 a.m.

Hillding helped start the handcar races in 1975 and ‘76, while Ostlund served as Booster Club president for four years during the early 1980s. They were part of the group that formed the Booster Club as a nonprofit organization and acquired the land and tracks where the races are staged.

There’s no charge to be part of the parade and entries can begin staging at 9:30 a.m.; entrants also can apply on the city’s website, www.townofwilkeson.com.

At noon, the focus shifts to an intersection near the elementary school where the Tacoma Scots Bag Pipe Band will perform.

Throughout the day there will be vendors and entertainment, along with a Kid’s Zone at Wilkeson Elementary School where youngsters can enjoy free games and meet Skookum the Coal Clown.

The handcar races begin at 1 p.m. on the tracks at Coke Oven Park. The competitive fun has been expanded through the years and will again include lawnmower races and a tug-o-war contest. Sign-ups begin at 12:30 p.m. or competitors can register early at city’s website.

Bleacher seating is available for those who arrive in time.

The evening is given over to an adults-only crowd as the Wilkeson Eagles host a beer garden and street dance beginning at 6 p.m. There also will be entertainment at two downtown establishments.