Corn Roast and Reunion offers variety of activities

By Sean Barron

Two local troupes got several people off their feet and dancing.

NORTH LIMA — If you were in the mood to get acquainted with a pair of llamas, see some lively line dancing or sit back and enjoy a bit of fellowship, you would have done well to stop by Woodworth Community Park.

The park, off Luther Avenue in Beaver Township, was the setting for Saturday’s sixth annual Corn Roast and Reunion, which brought in many area businesses, churches and organizations.

The four-hour program, organized by the five-member park board, gave township residents, officials and groups an opportunity to gather in a relaxed, informal setting. It also was set up to encourage the community to come together, explained Scott Conway, park administrator.

“It’s a way for us to say ‘thank you’ to the residents for supporting us all year,” Conway said. “[The event] is our stress-free zone.”

Plenty of roasted corn and hot dogs were available to attendees, some of whom were content simply to gather at picnic tables to converse with one another and enjoy their meals.

Others, however, wished to get better acquainted with members of the police, fire and road departments.

Chief Russ Osborne of the township fire department said his firefighters provided free blood pressure and glucose checks.

People also were able to see the township’s new emergency response unit and get a closer look at various pieces of safety equipment, Osborne said.

“It’s nice to run into us before they need us,” said Osborne, who also owns a llama that was an attraction for many youngsters.

Nearby, members of the township police department were handing out school supplies to kids and distributing pamphlets on the area’s crime watch program, as well as how to stay safe online and avoid drinking and driving, among other topics.

One of the park’s newest additions is a pavilion built two years ago as part of a community service project by Boy Scout Troop 80 of North Lima, some of whose members were on hand.

The Scouts came mainly to show their support to the community, said Tod Winkel, Troop 80’s scoutmaster.

Many elderly and young people alike found it difficult to sit still to the sounds and sights of Kick it Up Kloggers of Canfield and People Who Dance Together in Different Color Shirts, a Newton Falls-based troupe that performs mainly country line dancing.

The Canfield group, which has five to seven members, dances to mostly country, hip-hop and light rock music, said member Janet Williams.

The clogging style is a derivation of Irish step dancing combined with largely Appalachian and country music, she explained.

Also part of the entertainment was Following June, a local oldies band.

Other facets of the program included an interdenominational church service and a canned food drive. Plenty of produce was for sale.

Some activities were geared toward children, including a clown, a petting zoo and pony rides.

Several hundred people were expected at the corn roast, a few organizers said.