Hundreds take part in event for free

By VIRGINIA ROSS SHANK

The event features food and a car show, along with things for the kids to do.

BAZETTA — The right price brought Kelly Braun to the Trumbull County Fairgrounds on Saturday for the 14th Annual Ox Roast and Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show.

The free food, rides and music kept Braun and her 9-year-old son, Shay, there the better part of the day.

“At first I wanted to check it out because I heard it was sponsored by a church,” the Youngstown woman explained. “But I had no idea it was like this. This is terriffic. The kids can go from ride to ride, and you don’t have to worry about how much it’s costing. I’m amazed at how many people are here, especially when so many other things are going on this weekend. It’s wonderful.”

The event, which also features a free car, truck and motorcycle show, is sponsored by Glenn Foundation Church. Organizers have said the Rev. Frank Glenn and his wife, Linda, initiated the event as a gift to the community realizing many area families cannot afford to attend other local events.

“This is our fourth year coming here, and we love it,” said Erin Powell of Hubbard. “My husband and I bring the kids and they can pretty much enjoy anything they want to — ride the rides and eat and have fun — and we don’t worry that it’s costing too much. I think a lot of people really appreciate that this is something fun they can do, something you can bring the kids to, and you don’t have to worry about not having enough money for it.” Each year the church provides the community with three days of fun, fellowship and food. And most of it, including the food, parking, registration and admission, is free.

Activities kicked off Friday afternoon, continued all day Saturday and will wind down tonight with fireworks. Hundreds of attendees from Trumbull County and the surrounding areas have gathered at the fairgrounds. Organizers said they expect several thousand people to converge there today for what they call the weekend’s main event, the car show, which continues until 10 tonight. At 4:30 p.m. 288 trophies will be awarded in 28 classes.

For Kenny Kountz, who brought his restored 1938 Chevy sedan to the show, the event gives him a chance to display his car while the kids get to play.

“We go to some shows, but not a lot because we have so many things going on,” said Kountz of Mineral Ridge. “But this is nice because you can show your car and there’s stuff the kids to do. There’s something for everyone. It just makes it nice.”

Saturday marked Katie Olsen’s first time at the event. The Cortland woman said she enjoyed seeing the cars, but really appreciated being able to feed her two kids for free. Likewise Braun said next year she plans on recommending the event to other families she knows.

“This is a great gift to give families,” Braun said. “We really appreciate that and I hope they know how much. A lot of times you spend so much just in food and rides and everything. It makes it really hard for a lot of people. This is really special and it’s great they do this. They are really special people to do something like this. It’s just really, really nice.”

For more information about the event visit www.oxroastcarshow.com or www.glennchristianchurch.com . Or, call Glenn Christian Foundation Church at 330-898-1872.