History of the Little Cousin Jasper Festival
January 19, 2000
Little Cousin Jasper Festival was formed in 1974 as Good Neighbor Days. The Little Cousin Jasper Festival was incorporated on December 24, 1977 under the not-for-profit statues of Indiana. The Festival is a yearly event held the weekend after Labor Day at the county seat of Jasper County Rensselaer, Indiana on the lawn of the Jasper County Courthouse.
The festival is organized by an unpaid committee of civic minded Jasper County citizens who meet in the winter of each year to elect chairpersons and a secretary and treasurer. These officers and other volunteers then proceed to organize the festival during the next nine months.
The primary purpose of the festival is to bring together Jasper County residents in a social situation and provide such events as the parade, entertainment, participation in athletic events, and showcase the county's numerous civic, charitable and business organizations.
The committee raises funds for the festival through donations, charging vendor fees and sponsoring such events as bingo, softball, 5K walk, remote control car race, etc. These receipts are used solely for the operation of the festival to provide advertising, entertainment, the sound system, tent rental's, clean-up, parade units and insurance.
If receipts from the festival exceed expenditures of the festival, the excess is donated to worthy charitable organizations or used to better the community. Donations have been made to the Jasper County Hospital Building program, Rensselaer Fire Department, St. Joseph College Building Fund, Adult Learning Center, James Whitcomb Riley Foundation, Save the Library Fund, now known as Carnegie Center, Bombers for Academic Excellence, Jasper County Council on Aging, Crisis Center for Abused Women and Children, Teens as Moms, Jasper County Library. Remington - Rensselaer Merchants for Christmas decorations and Jasper County Courthouse 100th celebration fund. D.A.R.E.
The Organization sponsored and built with donated laber a Gazebo for the courthouse lawn.
The Festival provides philanthropic organizations, independent crafters, and small business's an opportunity that they would not otherwise realize.
The festival also provides free family entertainment for the enjoyment of the community and area residents. The committee plans to continue their efforts with the focus on donation's to a worth while causes in the future. In 1999 and 2000, the festival will raise funds toward playground equipment for the city parks.
Lauretta R. Anders
Little Cousin Jasper Festival