Saturday, September 9, 11am-5pm FREE!

Columbia State Historic Park  plays host to the Hill Valley Festival!

Columbia has many activities during the day for the general public, but bring cash to participate in some of the Festival’s special attractions. (Proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.)

 This park was once known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines." Between the 1850s and 1870s over one billion dollars in gold (at today's value) was mined in the area.  For a time, Columbia was the second largest city in California!  

Docents in period attire will provide lots of information on the structure of their featured building, nature of its business and equipment, contents of store merchandise, or interior décor of family homes, along with history of the times for visitors. If you’re lucky, the gambling table will be set up on the boardwalk for everyone to try their hand at betting against a mining camp gambler. Bowl for free in an antique bowling alley (next to the museum!)

Did you know California also became a state on September 9, 1850?!

 What better way to celebrate than to have a Parade! Hill Valley will share ‘Founders Day’ with the great state of California. The processional kicking off at 11am. Come in your favorite 1800’s attire and march along! Musicians, Antique vehicles and maybe even a DeLorean Time Machine being pulled by a team of horses!

“What’ll it be, stranger?” You’re bound to hear a piano player at one of the saloons, so listen for the sounds and step in for a locally made Sarsaparilla, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Columbia State Park Activities:

Pan for real gold!  Ride the 100+ year old Stage Coach, the ‘Quartz Mountain Stage Line.’  Take a docent tour around town, and check out some of the special exhibits on display from ‘Back to the Future Part III.’  You may recognize a certain grave stone over at the Cabinet and Undertakers shop!  (photo op!)

Original and replica props from the film will be assembled together for your enjoyment.  Manure?  We got it! Sniff out a familiar cart operated by Mr. Jones and dive face first into a pile of (photo op!)

Did your horse throw a shoe?  Well, head on over to Doc’s Blacksmith shop to see his assistant working.  There are some cool souvenirs, and he’ll even pound steel letters into a horseshoe to personalize it for you!  (Our condolences to Buford’s now deceased horse.)

Word on the street says that Mad Dog Tannen aims to call out Clint Eastwood at high noon for a showdown in the middle of town.  Will there be a gun fight? –or will manure win the day…?

Just afterwards,  the mayor will preside over the clock dedication ceremony and citizens can pose for an old timey portrait with the famous clock.  

Music!  We are super excited to announce that the live music for the festival will be performed by the original ‘Hill Valley Drifters’ from the movie!  Cactus Bob and Prarie Flower have assembled their fellow musicians for a foot-stomping good time for fans!  As Producer Neil Canton said, "In between shots, ZZ Top would play with the local musicians and it was a nice atmosphere to have music on the set."  

You’ve watched them on the silver screen and now they play just for you, live!  Yes, the clock tower will be in the background, still under construction and covered in scaffolding.

“What idiot dressed you like that?”  There will be a costume contest with a modest entry fee and prizes!

-BONUS! Attendees of the costume contest will get to choose their fan favorite!

Prizes will be awarded!

Is Billie Jean your lover?  If not, take part in an improvised dance-off, as we search for the citizen with the best Michael Jackson (or other) moves in Hill Valley.

Try your hand at Colonel Samuel Colt’s Patent Firearms Nerf-Shoot! (“Even a baby can do it.”)  

Perhaps you’re aiming for a different kind of challenge.  Skittle-spittin’ (hit the spittoon!) for prizes!

Feeling lucky, punk? Spin the ‘Wheel Of Chicken’ for a Poultry Prize! Everyone WINS!

A favorite carnival game is a modified version of the corn hole toss.  Someone has placed Buford Tannen’s ‘Wanted’ poster over the hole, and players take aim with green colored ‘manure’ bags!

The DeLorean Time Machine will be parked for photo ops.  Feed the Mr. Fusion Reactor a donation, and it will talk to you!

Remember, many people in this community helped make ‘Back to the Future Part III,’ so the Hill Valley Festival will serve as a reunion while  celebrating these local movie stars and behind-the-scenes heroes. We hope they share their stories and excitement about the filming of Part III with their fellow fans.

Who knows?  You may have the chance to do-si-do with some of them!  

Note: The Fallon House Theatre will be having an ALL DAY ‘Back to Back to Back’ marathon screening of ALL THREE ‘Back to the Future’ movies starting at 1:00! Movie Tickets are only $20 and good for all shows all day long! (See separate link for tickets!)

As always, subject to change with little notice -but we’ll do our best!