Townville Old Home Days starts today
Jul. 14—TOWNVILLE — Starting today at noon, it's time to go "home" to Townville as the 54th edition of Old Home Days opens.
The event, which runs today and Saturday, has a wide variety of attractions for all ages, including a queens' pageant, a pick-a-prize auction, a raffle, popular ox roast sandwiches, one of the larger summer parades in the area, and live musical entertainment.
Townville's summer festival is themed "Fiesta Celebration" and takes place at Maplewood Elementary School.
Old Home Days serves as a major fundraiser with proceeds benefiting Townville Volunteer Fire Department, Townville Volunteer Ambulance Service and Townville Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary, according to Linda McCarl, who handles publicity for the event.
Food and other booths open at noon today with children's games beginning at 4 p.m. and the popular frog jump at 5. Also starting at 5, and running through 10, is musical entertainment on the outdoor stage. A firefighters vs. police officers wiffle ball game is set for 6, while at 7 is the Old Home Days Queens' Pageant.
On Saturday, there's a Kids' 1 Mile Run at 8 a.m. for those under age 12 with a 5K race at 8:30. A co-ed volleyball match is at 9, with the parade through the borough at 10:30. In the afternoon, there's a classic car cruise-in from noon to 3:30 p.m. and an arm wrestling competition at 3. There also will be music on the stage starting at noon.
Old Home Days also includes bingo, pony rides, outdoor displays, an inflatable bounce area, horse-drawn wagon rides, wood carving, booth games and a variety of food booths.
It takes more than 200 volunteers to put on the event, according to McCarl.
"We joke there's only two ways of relinquishing helping out — you either pass away or get a job where you move out of the area," she said with a laugh.
Proceeds of the event are divided, with 50 percent to the fire department, 30 percent to the ambulance service and 20 percent to the fire department auxiliary.
Plus, other nonprofit groups can operate their own stands to raise funds.
But one of the biggest rules the committee has is "no duplication of booths" in terms of what they sell. "That way everybody gets their fair share of fundraising without being in competition with someone else," McCarl said.
It allows the fire department — as well as other nonprofits like school music boosters, churches, other area fire departments and service clubs — to make money during the festival, she noted.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
