A variety of activities will be offered again this year at the annual Onion Festival Saturday, April 25. File Art

The 22nd annual Princeton Onion Festival is shaping up to be the largest ever, says Casey Gunnels, president of the Princeton Lions Club. 

“We’ve gotten some great community partnerships to sponsor our 5K and Kid Zone, as well as some really nice items donated for our auction,” Gunnels said.

The day kicks off early on Saturday, April 25, with check-in at 7:45 a.m. for the 5k run/walk at Jackie Hendricks Stadium. 

The 5k starts at 9 a.m., right after the 1-mile fun run at 8:30 a.m..

The rest of the day features a variety of activities celebrating community pride in the city’s title of Onion Capital of Texas and benefitting the Princeton Lions Club.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds from this event go back to Princeton ISD students, either through eye exams and glasses from our partners at Walmart Optical, Christmas gifts through the Princeton Gives [formerly Angel Tree] programs or scholarships to graduating seniors,” Gunnels said.

Food trucks will be available all day and vendor booths will be located both inside and outside Princeton Senior High School.  

“The response from vendors and the community has been great,” Gunnels said.

Team check-in for the Mantooth Memorial 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament is between 9 and 10 a.m. and at 10 a.m. for the cornhole tournament. 

Elementary school talent will be showcased on the Onion Festival Stage in the PSHS cafeteria with pupils from Harper Elementary performing at 10 a.m., Green at 10:30 a.m., Lacy at 11 a.m., Mayfield at 11:30 a.m., Godwin at noon, Lowe at 12:30 p.m., Smith at 1 p.m. and James at 1:30 p.m.

The live auction will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. along with a drawing for the raffle prize of a Pit Boss 3-Series electric vertical smoker. 

Raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5 from any Lions Club member, any Princeton ISD campus, the PISD Administration Building, 804 Mabel Ave., or online.

The Onion Festival commemorates Princeton’s farming heritage, particularly the sweet Bermuda onion. By the 1940s, Princeton was shipping 175 train-car loads of onions each year.  

Monetary donations to the Lions Club can be made at by cash or check at the PISD Administration Building or online using a credit or debit card at the Lions secure payment portal: vancoevents.com/us/donate/onionfestival.

“This is always the highlight of the year for me, because it makes this rapidly growing community still feel like a small town,” Gunnels said. 

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