JACKSON CENTER — The 2016 Jackson Center Community Days festival, which will be conducted in the village June 2-5, will have all the things the community has come to expect from the annual event: A vintage car show. Live entertainment. Rides for the kids. Fifty/fifty drawings. Beer. Livestock. Fair food. Raffles. Plus one other thing that makes Jackson Center the envy of villages throughout Ohio.
A state champion volleyball team.
The Jackson Center Lady Tigers, winners of the Division IV state volleyball title in 2015, have been collectively named as the grand marshals of the Jackson Center Community Days parade, which will make its way down Pike Street Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m., to cap the annual four-day event.
Jackson Center village administrator Bruce Metz said that choosing the Lady Tiger state championship team for the honors was was no-brainer.
“When they won, we knew right then they were going to be our grand marshals,” Metz said.
Metz went on to say that Alumapalooza 7 and the Airstream Art Show, which will be conducted in conjunction with the Community Days, will only add to the festive atmosphere.
“With Alumapalooza and the Art Show going on at the same time (as the Community Days), it really brings the community together,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to it.”
Highlights of the weekend’s Community Days activities include:
Queen and Little Miss Jackson Center. The annual pageant for the crowning of the Queen and Little Miss Jackson Center will be held Thursday, June 2, at 7 p.m. at the Jackson Center High School auditorium.
The Tiger Trot 5K and one-mile Fun Run Saturday, June 4. Grade schoolers are encouraged to sign up for the Fun Run, with the starting gun scheduled for 8:40 a.m. The Tiger Trot 5K is slated to start 20 minutes later at 9 a.m. Water stations, split times, multiple age groups, and electronic timing will be offered for the Tiger Trot. Both the Fun Run and Tiger Trot will start at the high school. There will be a $5 registration fee for the Fun Run and a $15 registration fee for the Tiger Trot the day of the events. All proceeds from the Tiger Trot and Fun Run will go to the JC Boosters.
The 17th annual Community Days Motorcycle, Car and Truck Show. Got a vintage hot rod or tricked out Gold Wing you want to show off, or do you prefer just to gawk at classic cars and trucks? This is the place to do it. Plaques will be awarded to the first 50 participants by car show sponsors Backroom Executives Motorcycle Club, with trophies and cash prizes going Best of Show, the Top 25 vehicles (as voted on by the entrants), and The Verdict Is In honors, as awarded by a cadre of Jackson Center business owners who use nothing other than their own subjective criteria to judge the entrants. Depending on the weather, the Motorcycle, Car and Truck Show may draw over 150 participants. Contact Dan Winkler at 937-596-5130 or Rick Howerton at 937-596-8191 for more information.
Live entertainment throughout the weekend on both the main stage and the entertainment tent. Some of those scheduled to perform include Thick & Thin (7:30 p.m. Friday in the entertainment tent), Main Street Dueling Pianos (Friday, 8 p.m. on the main stage), Mark Cantwil (2 p.m Saturday in the entertainment tent), and No Regrets (8 p.m. Saturday on the main stage).
Other attractions include bingo (both traditional and cow chip), a hoop shoot, a dodge ball tournament, a livestock barn, free pony rides, and children’s tractor races. A complete listing of events and starting times for each can be found at jacksoncenter.com and clicking on the “Community Events” tab.
The Kissel Brothers will be supplying the rides, which will be open from 5 p.m. until close Friday, noon until close on Saturday, and 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. Sunday. Ride tickets will be $15 on Friday and Sunday and $20 on Saturday.
More information about the Jackson Center Community Days can be obtained by calling the village office at 937-596-6314.
