Looking over the schedule for Chingawassa Days 2012, it occurred to me that there are two different ways to divide the events of the weekend. An event can be a returning classic or a first-time experiment, and it can be a show to watch or an activity to participate in. In other words, Chingawassa Days will have events that are old, events that are new, things to see, and things to do.

With as much as will be going on this weekend, there is no excuse for boredom. Athletes can run in the Rhino Run 5-kilometer run or 2-mile run/walk, compete in a three-on-three basketball tournament, compete at tug of war or arm wrestling, and compete in a horseshoe-pitching tournament and Marion’s Amazing Race.

There are other competitions that are less physically demanding, like Texas hold’em, rock-paper-scissors, bingo, a heads-or-tails game, and others.

If you’d rather just enjoy a show, Rick Sardou will demonstrate the art of sculpting wood with a chain saw. You can see a magician’s stage and strolling acts, meet Pro-Bowler and Kansas City Chiefs radio reporter Kendall Gammon, or see clog dancers or wild-west reenactors.

There will be plenty to eat, starting with barbecue and ice cream Friday evening and continuing with a watermelon feed on Saturday, not to mention all of the food vendors that will be set up in Central Park.

And it wouldn’t be Chingawassa Days without music. The big act, of course, is Starship. The Chingawassa Days committee deserves credit for finding a band that in less than two years scored three No. 1 singles. That is catching lightning in a bottle. Just one big concert would probably be enough, but Chingawassa Days also has a pair of tribute bands scheduled for Friday and local musicians scheduled to take the stage on Saturday.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of events and activities; you’ll find that elsewhere in the newspaper. But I don’t know who would need more than this to keep entertained for a weekend.

— ADAM STEWART