Massillon Cable TV, the Massillon Museum, and the Downtown Massillon Association invite all families to participate in this year’s Fun Fest, which will be held on Saturday, August 14, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Fun Fest, a Massillon Alive event, has entertained thousands of families in downtown Massillon for sixteen years.
Admission
to the family-focused event is free. There is no cost for most activities; some have a minimal charge.
Children will enjoy games, story times, prizes, face painting, contests, art projects, dancing, crafts, health and safety activities, athletic events, and music. The Stump Hill Farm Petting Zoo, a rock climbing wall from the Ohio Army National Guard, and the Massillon Museum’s shirt tie-dyeing will be among the favorite activities. The Tuslaw Lions train ride; and the Massillon Public Library Bookmobile will be on hand.
Among the familiar organizations offering activities, demonstrations, and information will be churches, Massillon Parks and Recreation Department, the Salvation Army, Massillon Family YMCA, YWCA of Massillon, Massillon cheerleaders, Lighthouse Visions, Canton Ballet, and the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Dozens more will join them.
Inflatables, the New England Garden Club’s flower arranging station, clowns, Massillon Museum art projects, a petting zoo, and other hands-on activities galore will delight young visitors.
Organizations, human services agencies, and businesses will distribute free items such as coloring books, pencils, balloons, banks, bookmarks, and puzzles. Emergency crews and vehicles—including Massillon Fire Department, art organizations, magicians, musical groups, and others who offer programs of interest to young people will help make Fun Fest a lively, safe, educational, and enriching experience.
Fun Fest is centered on First Street and Lincoln Way East and on the lawn of the Massillon Museum. Free parking is available in city lots, in the Erie Street parking deck, and on adjacent streets. For more information, contact the Massillon Museum, 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.
The Drum Corps Competition will feature eight corps, including five of the top twelve in the nation, and is truly a family event filled with pageantry, precision and extraordinary musical talent. The Bluecoats will compete against some of the nation’s top-ranked corps. They include Blue Knights from Denver, Colo.; The Cadets from Allentown, Pa.; Madison Scouts from Madison, Wis.; Pioneer from Milwaukee, Wis.; Santa Clara Vanguard from Santa Clara, Calif.; Spirit from Jacksonville, Ala.; and Troopers from Casper, Wyo. These corps will be at the peak of their performance just one week away from the international championships to be held in Indianapolis, Ind.
Stark County, which has hosted all or portions of the finals for the past 20 years and has two years remaining on the current contract to host the finals, has been awarded the 2012 and 2013 championships, while Columbus will host the finals in 2014 and 2015. As part of the motion to approve the recommendation, the Board also gave itself the opportunity to discuss option years for hosting the finals in the future. Stark County will continue to utilize Canton Fawcett Stadium and Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium as the site for the six championship games in a two-day format rotating between the two facilities and Columbus will host all six finals at Ohio Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University also in a two-day format.
The 13th Floor Gallery will host its grand opening this Saturday evening from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., July 17 in downtown Massillon. The gallery, located at 28 Charles Ave SE, is the first of its kind in Massillon and will feature artists from Northeast Ohio and beyond in 30-day exhibits.
Volunteers Ed and Nancy Hare, in the characters of the original residents, will welcome visitors to Five Oaks (210 Fourth Street NE in Massillon) at 9:30 a.m. An array of rolls, juice, coffee, and tea will be presented at the long dining room table for visitors to enjoy amidst the mansion’s lavish carved woodwork, gold-leaf decorated walls, and Tiffany fixtures.
The Cruise-On-In & Dance Party is an annual festival featuring food, fireworks, entertainment and will feature hundreds of classic and antique vehicles from over five states. The juried show will award some forty-nine trophies, including the Progressive Chevrolet-A Chevy Network Dealer “Best of Show.”
Opening for Morrison Hotel will be “Something New,” 15-year-old guitar prodigy Cole Davis. A native of blues capital St. Louis, Davis first started drawing attention as a 12-year-old street performer in his hometown. The large crowds soon attracted TV cameras, and the rest is history. Now 15, Davis continues to perform on his beloved street corners, and on stages as an invited guest of blues groups traveling through St. Louis. The Cruise-On-In & Dance Party will be his first Ohio performance.
