A tractor pull competition, 5K race and pie contest are just a few of the featured events at this year’s annual Churchville Lions Country Fair during the weekend of August 19 and 20. The Country Fair, held annually for more than 10 years, offers two days of entertainment and special events. Both days will feature more than 50 arts-and-craft booths, a petting zoo of farm animals, chainsaw carving, threshing and bailing demos, children’s games and a dunking booth. There will be a variety of food booths as well. “It’s a great family-friendly event that attracts people of all ages,” said Lions member Jim Ehrmentraut, co-chair of the fair. “It also brings all of the community together.” Saturday events At 1 p.m. children can participate in the fair’s Pedal Tractor Pull & Tractor Activity. “Kids love the smaller-sized tractors. It’s fun for them and it’s easy since it’s like peddling a bicycle since the tractors they ride are not motorized,” said Lions member Jerry Mason. In the afternoon, the fair will hold its annual pie contest sponsored by the Star of the West Milling Company. The fire department will also participate in this year’s fair by conducting a reenactment of a DWI accident. Throughout the day, fairgoers can enjoy music from Steve West, the Heartland Band, 6L6 Band and the Lama Jama Band. The day’s festivities will end with a “bang” with a fireworks display at around 10 p.m. Sunday events The fair will then host an antique tractor pull competition. After all the tractors are weighed and divided into one of four divisions, they will compete against one another to see how much weight they can pull. During both days of the fair, there will be more than 100 antique tractors on display. “Many of the tractors were made in the 1930s and 50s,” said Mason, who has nine tractors of his own. A chicken barbecue will be the featured meal of the day, along with music from the Steve Brew Band, Darnere Dunfore and the Johnny Bauer Band. The Country Fair concludes Sunday evening with cash drawings from raffle tickets that individuals can purchase for $20 each. Prizes range from the chance of winning $3,000, $500, $300, $100, to $40. The Lions Club The Churchville Park Fairground is located on West Buffalo Street at Park Road in Churchville. For directions or information about the fair, go to www.churchvillelions.org. 5K Charity Race for Ryan Chalmers On Sunday, August 20, the Churchville Lions Club will hold its annual 5K Fun Run, Walk & Roll Race. In this race, participants literally run, walk or roll the five-mile course through the Village of Churchville. By “roll”, this includes individuals who are wheelchair bound, such as children from Easter Seals Rochester Rookies. Along side them will be Ryan Chalmers, a 17-year-old Churchville resident who has spina bifida and is wheelchair bound. Spina bifida is a serious birth defect in which an unnatural opening occurs between the bones of an individual’s spinal column which can result in paralysis and motor difficulties. Chalmers has not let this medical condition prevent him from participating in sports such as track and basketball. In addition to competing regularly by playing wheelchair basketball with the SportsNet Rochester Rockets, Chalmers has also been involved in competitions on a national and international level. After earning a spot on Team USA, he and the team went to Australia in April and won a gold medal in the International Wheelchair Basketball Championship. In July, he competed in a variety of track and field events in Dublin, Ireland at the IWAS Junior World Games. Chalmers’ next goal is to compete in the 2008 Paralympics (a competition for individuals with disabilities) in Beijing, China. To prepare for this event, Chalmers, who will be a senior this fall at Churchville-Chili Senior High School, will spend the majority of his weekends throughout the school year at the Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Proceeds raised from the 5K race will go to help Chalmers pay for some of his travel expenses from Churchville to Baltimore. The 5K race is part of Churchville Lions Club’s Country Fair which is being held at the fairgrounds on West Buffalo Street at Park Road. Following the race, there will be a chicken barbecue and other entertainment. Those interested in participating in the race are asked to donate $5 for individuals and $15 for a family of three or more. Those who pledge $25 or more will be eligible for drawings and prizes. Registration for the race is from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. on August 20, with the race officially beginning at 10 a.m. The race is not for bikers or those who want to skate or use rollerblades. For information about the 5K race, contact Lions member Jim Lamica at 293-1271 or Bob DeNormand at 293-3345. Bring your best pie to the fair What kind of pie are you going to make for this year’s annual pie contest that will take place on Saturday, August 19 at Churchville Lion’s Country Fair? Maybe a traditional homemade apple, blueberry or cherry pie from a recipe that has been handed down in your family for decades? Or do you think you will try something different and unique, such as a caramel peach crumble pie or apple blueberry crumb pie? Similar to previous years, Star of the West Milling Company is sponsoring this year’s pie contest. The company will supply a pie tin and a five pound bag of pastry flour for participants that can be picked up from now until August 18. “Star of the West has been part of the Churchville community since the late 1800s,” said Leslie Rheinwald, chairperson of the pie contest. “The bakers in the pie contest can take pride in the fact that the ingredient for the award winning pies are produced in their own town.” In addition to adults, teenagers are also encouraged to participate in the contest. Last year, 12 teenagers entered. “Two years ago, a youth division was added to help teach the youth the fine art of pie baking,” Rheinwald said. All pie entries must be brought to the St. Vincent DePaul Church Bake Sale booth at the fair between 10 a.m. and noon on August 19. The judging will take place between 1 and 3 p.m. with an awards ceremony at 4 p.m. Three prizes will be awarded in two different categories: adults and juniors (18 and under). The winners will receive $75, first place; $50, second place; and $25, third place. The top three pies from each division will be sold at a live auction that will again be hosted by guest auctioneer Carol Ritter Wright. Following the contest and auction, all the remaining pies will be donated to the St. Vincent DePaul Church Bake Sale Booth to be sold. There is no entry fee for the pie contest. Entry forms and the specific rules of the contest are available at Star of the West Milling Company, 35 South Main Street, Village of Churchville. August 13, 2006 |
