Dan Rice Days

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! James Pancurak, Nadine Cannon

On Behalf of the Day Rice Days Committee, Thank You for Supporting Our Town Festival.

Our Dan Rice Days Menue!! We are located in Mechanic Street next to the Full Circle Winery.

Hope to see y’all there

Available during Day Rice Days in the Girard Borough Social Room.

The Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps is scheduled to arrive Saturday AM, August 5, 2023. The Corps will be staying at the Girard High School. They will be appearing in the Dan Rice Days Parade.
The Corps will be practicing on the Girard School District grounds August 5th, 6th and leave August 7th, 2023.

The 44th annual Dan Rice Days 5K Race, 8:30AM Saturday, August 5, 2023. Each participant to receive a shirt.
Registration form on DanRiceDays.com

During Dan Rice Days, Saturday, August 5, 2023, 5PM - 6:30PM, local artists, Mary Miller, Mary Hamilton, Eliza Wolfe and Nancy Shumaker Pallan will be giving the history of the mural. The ladies will be in front of the mural on Myrtle Street. The street between Main Street and Locust Street will be closed during this time.

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard!

Trent Eaton, Rebecca Moyer

Dan Rice Days - August 3, 4, 5, 2023
T-Shirts Available at the Information Table
Small through X-Large $12.00
2X & 3X $2.00 Extra

CIRCUS SHOWMAN DAN RICE

Girard is known locally for its circus past. The town was the winter home of showman Dan Rice’s nationally known circus before the Civil War. Rice wintered his circus in Girard beginning in 1853. The troupe returned to Girard each fall with a parade to the town from the nearby Erie Extension Canal.

When Dan Rice settled in Girard, he brought with him a familiarity of the forms of architecture that were common in the eastern port cities where he had toured or wintered-over. The residence with its flat roof, three bay façades, and detailing, which Rice built on the north side of the square in 1855, bore a close resemblance to a Greek Revival town house. He later placed fourteen cast-iron statues – nine of human figures and five of animals on the surrounding grounds.

Rice went bankrupt in 1875, he was forced to dispose of all his properties in Girard. The Circus equipment was sold off and his house and other buildings fell into the hands of creditors. The house had deteriorated to the point in 1890 that the new owner of the property, while deciding against demolition, had it moved to a new site at the northwest corner of Vine and Wall Streets. There it continued as a residence until acquired by the American Legion for a hall in 1920. Under a covering of siding, the building revealed nothing of its original design. Five statues were eventually acquired by the First National Bank of Erie president J.C. Spencer and donated to the borough of Girard upon the occasion of the Dan Rice Centennial in 1965.

Dan Rice Days Volunteer Group will be meeting 7pm, Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at the Girard Borough Office. Anyone wanting to volunteer for the annual event is welcome to attend the meeting.

Had the pleasure of meeting this fine couple this weekend from Maryland. Meet Dan Rice and Elisabeth. They had a lot of fun throughout the three days and Dan was high bidder on one of the fire hydrants. Hope you can come back next year.

Well folks the 2022 Dan Rice Days is in the bag. We hope you had fun and thank you for your support.

Thank you for sharing for those not able to attend.

Great day for a parade! Dan Rice Days parade kicks off at 11am. Stop by our booth at Dan Rice Days to get your Gun Raffle tickets

6 years ago, this Dan Rice and family were traveling from Canada and heard about our festival so they stopped in time to watch the parade. Thursday night, another younger Dan Rice stopped in to introduce himself. how cool. Stop in at the Dan Rice Days committee booth to purchase your t-shirt, brick, and check out the hydrant silent auction. Parade starts at 11 am at the Girard High School. What a beautiful day in our Girard PA😎

As Dan Rce Days begins, please remember to use caution and slow down when passing through town. Please watch for pedestrians in the crosswalks! Have a safe and fun Dan Rice Days!