Iraan will be the place to be on Friday and Saturday as the Annual Alley Oop Festival is slated June 2-3 at the Alley Oop Park, 9261 Alley Oop Lane in Iraan. Admission is free for kids 3 and under, $5 for kids 4-12 and $10 for 12 and up, and purchase of a wristband gives festival goers access to Water Jumpers, Water Wars, Archery Tag, Gaming Trailer, Gelly Balls, Mechanical Bull, Bungee Jump, Rock Wall, 9-hole aluminum golf, Toxic Meltdown, High Striker, the dance, and the fireworks show.

A parade and pageant will also take place and food and merchandise vendors will be onsite.

Saturday night’s dance features Family Jewelz, and the fireworks show is presented by Truckload Fireworks.

Wristbands will be sold at all gates.

The Pecos River 4-H Club will have the Alley Oop Trap Shoot and the Iraan General Hospital District’s Rumble Color Run will take place Saturday morning at the Iraan Wellness Center. The Fun Run begins at 8 a.m. and the 5K Rumble at 8:20 a.m. Alley Oop Gun Show is Friday and Saturday at the Iraan 4-H Building.

The event is sponsored by the Iraan-Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, which offered some tips for attending the outdoor event, including bringing a source of shade, chairs, and sunscreen. Anyone participating in water events should consider bringing a change of clothes, as well.

Friday activities begin at 5 p.m. and Saturday’s activities will be from 10 a.m.-Midnight. The parade is at 5:15 Friday and begins at the high school parking lot; the theme this year is Alley Oop Comic Book.

“Alley Uber” will be available to take you from one part of the park to the other. There are four locations in the park and these locations will have times as to when it will be running. This is a free service, however tips/donations are appreciated as this will help fund future events.

Coming back this year will be Colorado-based Cave Sim. The free activity for kids and adults will be taking place this coming Saturday at the Alley Oop Festival in Iraan. CaveSim, a mobile cave exhibit, will be at the festival, and the public will have the opportunity to put on hardhats and lights to explore the mobile exhibit.

The exhibit is not virtual reality, but contains 60 feet of physical tunnels, complete with stalactites, artificial cave animals, and replica artifacts. As participants crawl and climb through the tunnels, a computer on the outside of the exhibit keeps track of how careful participants are to not touch the fragile objects in the cave. Family members who don’t feel like crawling can watch on night vision cameras from outside the mobile cave. CaveSim will also have a ropes and pulleys tower to help kids learn about physics as well as Search and Rescue in vertical caves. A crawl box, or mini cave, will provide a fun challenge for people from age 3 to adult.

CaveSim was very popular at the 2021 Alley Oop Festival. All the CaveSim activities are free thanks to sponsorship by Ira Yates’ Iraan Energy House.

Sul Ross State University in Alpine will present a Mobile STEM Experience Saturday at the festival. The experience features handson activities for kids and adults, and teachers can get inspired with content and technology infused with an agriculture theme and learn about the careers behind the science.