10,000 stock up for fall, holidays at Boardman Oktoberfest

By BOB JACKSON

news@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

To hear James Gosnell tell it, his trip to the Boardman Rotary’s annual Oktoberfest on Sunday was purely civic minded.

“I just came out to spend [money] and pick up the economy,” the 65-year-old Howland man said with a laugh. “We all have to do our part.”

Gosnell and his wife, Charlene, 61, had come to spend money alright, and spend they did.

“I found everything I was looking for, and then some,” he said, laughing again.

And the Gosnells weren’t alone, as the 34th annual Oktoberfest in Boardman Township Park was packed with people who’d come in search of deals and decorations for the upcoming holidays.

Officials estimated about 10,000 people attended despite drizzle and cloudy skies.

Several of the 300 vendor tents and tables were laden with handmade craft items for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There were also tables and tents of jewelry, handbags, dried flowers, wooden items, pet snacks and knick-knacks. There were also performances by the Boardman High School band and other live entertainment during the day.

“I like to look for Thanksgiving things because they have stuff here that’s hard to find other places,” said 47-year-old Renee Gill of Warren, who attended with her mother, Stella Gill, 65. The women said they come to the event each year.

Read the full story with photos Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.