Don't be chicken: Come to the fair

The 117th annual street fair begins Thursday.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- Savor the flavors of an onion-smothered hamburger. Ride a merry-go-round. Stop and smell the roses.
The 117th annual Columbiana Street Fair opens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and there will be a parade at 6:30 p.m. The parade will feature bands and other marching units, floats, fire trucks, antique and classic cars and street rods.
Dave Reash of the American Legion Benjamin Firestone Post 290 said anyone is welcome to participate in the parade, but participants must register at least one hour before the start of the parade.
The Legion will operate its Legion Eats trailer on the midway, featuring the group's onion-smothered, street fair hamburgers.
Monday may be Labor Day, but at the Grace United Church of Christ, it's Cole Slaw Day. The members will be busy all day processing about 10 bushels of cabbage and making 20 gallons of dressing for cole slaw. The cole slaw is one of the menu items for the church's chicken barbecue.
Church members will grill up and serve about 2,300 barbecued chicken dinners during the three days of the street fair, beginning at 4 p.m. each day until the meals are gone.
The church is at 140 S. Main St. The meal includes half a chicken, home fries or baked potato, cole slaw and homemade applesauce.
Other preparations include building the barbecue pit in the church parking lot, preparing 2,000 potatoes for baking, and peeling and cooking 16 bushels of apples for applesauce.
Along the street will be amusement rides, a variety of food vendors and a 260-foot exhibit tent filled with displays and merchandise from various merchants, clubs and civic organizations.
A homecoming
Reash said the event is a homecoming of sorts, with many former residents returning to town for the weekend.
The street fair has long been a place to renew old friendship sand make new ones, he said.
On Friday morning, the amusement ride operators will make adjustments to their rides and run them a bit slower than normal to accommodate some of the county's physically and mentally challenged residents.
The Legion provides lunch for the group and Reash said he expects the largest turnout ever this year.
The Columbiana and Fairfield Township Historical Society will have the log cabin on the square open for tours.
The Columbiana Rose Society will have its 42nd annual rose show from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with the sale of roses at 9 p.m.
The street fair will be open 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from noon to midnight Saturday.
The Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the annual photo contest during the street fair. There are categories for adults and a separate category for children younger than 13. Entries must be submitted to the Chamber office at 1041/2 South Main Street by noon Wednesday. Entry forms are available at the Chamber office.