Townville Old Home Days set for 55th edition
TOWNVILLE — Townville Old Home Days is when residents in eastern Crawford County meet up with old friends while enjoying some family-oriented fun, according to organizers.
The 55th edition of Townville Old Home Days, "Under the Sea," is Friday and Saturday on the grounds of Maplewood Elementary School, 32695 State Highway 408, Townville. The event kicks off Friday at noon when its food booths open.
The two-day event is a time for Townville area residents and former residents to catch up with friends, said Josh Manuel, who co-chairs the event with Garold Molli.
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Justin Sullivan of Townville attaches boards for lighting on Tuesday ahead of Old Home Days.
"A lot of people schedule their family reunions the same weekend (as Old Home Days)," Manuel said. "We all have a busy life. People often see some they haven't seen in a while. Everybody takes time to sit down and visit with someone for a half hour."
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Justin Sullivan of Townville unwraps lighting chords at Maplewood Elementary School in preparation for Old Home Days. The theme this year is 'Under the Sea.'
Featuring a different theme each year, Old Home Days offers a number of attractions for all ages. There's a classic car show, a queens pageant, a pick-a-prize auction, different contests, its popular ox roast sandwich booth, one of the largest parades in the area with more than 100 units and floats, plus live musical entertainment.
Old Home Days serves as a major fundraiser with proceeds to benefit Townville Volunteer Fire Department, Townville Volunteer Ambulance Service and Townville Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary.
Proceeds are divided with 50 percent to the fire department, 30 percent to the ambulance service and 20 percent to the fire department auxiliary.
Other nonprofit groups also operate their own booths to raise funds, said Manuel, who also is chief of the fire department.
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Justin Sullivan of Townville unwraps electrical chords at Maplewood Elementary School in preparation for Old Home Days, which kicks off on Friday.
But, the biggest rule of the Old Home Days' oversight committee is "no duplication of booths" in terms of what is offered for sale, according to Manuel.
Doing so allows the fire department as well as other nonprofits like school booster clubs, churches, other area fire departments and service clubs each to raise funds during the festival, he said.
"We get a lot of help from within our departments, but there's a lot of others from the community who help," Manuel said. "The whole community gets involved."
It takes about 200 volunteers to put on the event — with everything from setup to staffing various booths to tear down.
"We really rely on a lot of volunteers to do a majority of the work," Linda McCarl, who handles Old Home Days publicity, said. "We joke the only way you don't keep volunteering is you die or you get a job that forces you out of the area."
Schedule highlights
Below is a partial list of events for Townville Old Home Days
Friday
Noon Food booths open
5 p.m. Classic Car Cruise-in
5 to 10:30 p.m. Various bands perform on the stage
6 p.m. Guns vs. Hoses whiffle ball game
7 p.m. Queens pageant in school auditorium. Pageant admission is $4 for adults, $2 for students and free for children age 5 and under.
Saturday
8 a.m. Kids 1-mile run
8:30 a.m. 5K race
9 a.m. Co-ed volleyball match
9:45 a.m. Parade lineup at Townville VFD
10:30 a.m. Parade along Main Street
Noon Food booths open
2 p.m. Tractor pulls
2 to 10:30 p.m. Various bands on stage
6 to 7:30 p.m. Introduction of queens, dedications, memorials and dedications
Sunday
8 a.m. Cleanup with lunch to follow