The 76th annual Pataskala Street Fair kicks off Aug. 16. See the schedule
Summer might be coming to a close, but before the leaves start changing, there is one last summer event on the calendar — the Pataskala Street Fair.
Fair rides, local vendors and delicious food will take over downtown Pataskala as the 76th annual Pataskala Street Fair starts at 6 p.m. Aug. 16 and runs until Aug. 19.
Pataskala Mayor Mike Compton said generations of Pataskala residents have attended the fair over it's 76 years. People who rode rides on Main Street as children themselves now bring their own children and grandchildren to the annual event.
"There's just so much history there and then so many memories for so many people," he said.
The four-day fair, Compton said, is a time for people to see friends and neighbors they might not see at other times during the year. He personally loves gathering every night with family friends to enjoy the food and nightly entertainment.
"It really pulls the community together. It really does," Compton said.
Rex Johnson, the secretary/public relations officer for the West Licking Firefighters Association, which the fair supports, said the community event acts like a homecoming for the western Licking County city.
"There's people that come back here (for) that. There's a lot of the high school classes (that) schedule the reunions around the street fair so they could be in the parade," he said.
The Pataskala Street Fair Parade, which is organized by the Pataskala Rotary Club, will be held at noon Aug. 19. It starts on Oak Meadow Drive and heads south to South Vine Street then turns east onto Third Street. The parade will turn south onto South Main Street/Ohio 310, then west onto Front Street before finishing on South High Street.
Former Licking County Prosecutor Bill Hayes and his wife, Carolyn Hayes, will serve as the parade grand marshals. Alexander Ingraham, a 9-year-old Licking Heights student, will serve as the parade's first junior grand marshal.
The fair started as way for the West Licking Firefighters Association to get additional equipment for the West Licking Joint Fire District. Now the fair supports stocking the district's support truck to ensure it has coffee, blankets, cold water and other items firefighters need when dealing with a larger fire, Johnson said. And the truck supports more than West Licking firefighters, Johnson said, having also visited scenes in Knox and Fairfield counties.
Compton said even though the fair doesn't start until the evening of Aug. 16, road closures on South Main Street, Jefferson Street and other side streets in downtown Pataskala will start the morning of Aug. 15 as setup begins. The roads are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Aug. 20.
Pataskala Street Fair entertainment schedule
Wednesday, Aug. 16
5:30 p.m. Registration for Kiddie Tractor Pull
6 p.m. Fair Opens
6 p.m. Licking County 4-H Band
6:30 p.m. Kiddie Tractor Pull Begins
7 p.m. Registration for Texas Hold 'em Tournament (Old Fire House)
7 p.m. WLFA Women’s Auxiliary Little Miss Firefighter
8:30 p.m. Green 13
Thursday, Aug. 17
1 p.m. Fair Opens
1-5 p.m. Kiddie Day
7 p.m. Registration for Texas Hold 'em Tournament (Old Fire House)
8:30 p.m. At It Again
Friday, Aug. 18
1 p.m. Fair Opens
1-5 p.m. Kiddie Day
6 p.m. Jersey Pullers Garden Tractor Pulls
6 p.m. Platinum Dance Center
7 p.m. Registration for Texas Hold 'em Tournament (Old Fire House)
9 p.m. Marquis 66
Saturday, Aug. 19
Noon Pataskala Street Fair Parade
Fair Opens after parade
4:30 p.m. Licking County YMCA Tang Soo Do (Korean Karate)
6 p.m. Cyndee’s Dance Studio
8:30 p.m. Long Play
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: The 76th annual Pataskala Street Fair starts Aug. 16. See the schedule
