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WINTERSVILLE -- This week’s Wednesdays in Wintersville will be special for a couple of reasons.
First, on Wednesday, the village will be celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday with a theme of Red, White & Boom. Second, the monthly street fair will continue on Thursday. That, according to Joel John, head of the volunteer committee that coordinates the event, could be a look at things to come.
“We are doing a two-day event,” said John, the owner of Exquisite Creations by Joel on Main Street. “The exciting part is that we do not normally reschedule canceled events, but our first one got so much attention that we decided to try this as a trial run of adding a second event.”
He said something similar had happened last July, when they were able to organize a secondary little gathering that they labeled as a speakeasy.
“This is going to be an extended trial run of that,” John explained, adding festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. each night. The presenting sponsor for both nights will be Ferguson’s House of Furniture and the 7 Ranges Entertainment Center at the Fort Steuben Mall.
On Wednesday, he said, it will be all patriotic, and based around the Fourth of July, with things for kids and other activities, including an area set aside for members of the Wintersville Woman’s Club to collect flags that are to be retired.
The children’s contest will center on Little Miss or Little Mr. Patriotic and will start at 6 p.m.
“You can dress in anything festive,” John said. “You could be the Statue of Liberty, or you could be dressed in bright red, white and blue. Anything that’s festive is our goal. We will have a nice little competition for that.”
Jimmy Z will provide the entertainment on Wednesday in the parking lot of Exquisite Creations, where the Knotty Pint Mobile Bar will be serving drinks themed around the holiday.
The kids’ zone, as always, will be set up at Wintersville Methodist Church, and will include a bounce house and the teen maker’s market, which helps teach entrepreneurial skills to young people.
Because of the vacation Bible school being conducted at the church during the week, there will be no exhibit on display in the Center for Hope either night of the festival.
In keeping with the patriotic theme, there will be an apple pie baking contest, he added.
And, the Farmers Gateway Market, presented by the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, will be held between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. It’s a weekly event, organizers said.
Thursday, meanwhile, will be a make-up for the May 6 event, which carried the theme of Magic. Organizers canceled that evening because of rain that was predicted for the area and colder-than-normal temperatures that had descended on the region.
“We’re saying that May will magically appear for this one,” John said. “The kids’ contest is a wizard and warlock dress-up competition and our food competition will be for the best chocolate chip cookie. People are really excited about the chocolate chip cookies.”
John said you can call (740) 317-5577 for information or to enter either of the costume contests. For information or to enter the baking competitions, call (740) 381-3261.
The entertainment on Thursday, he added, will be bluegrass with Buck and the Boys. The kids' area on Thursday, John said, will be sponsored by Shorac Funeral Home.
Of course, there will be plenty of vendors on hand for both nights.
While Village Council passed designated outdoor refreshment area legislation on April 8, it has not gone into effect, John said, adding officials still are waiting for sign, cups and other things they need from state officials.
John said he and committee members were encouraged by this year’s first edition on June 3.
“June was probably our biggest turnout,” he said. “It was probably one of our most well-attended events. The excitement was there, and we had good weather. We’re crossing our fingers for good weather this week.”
That event, he added, likely received a boost from the showing of the film “Dog Man” at the village’s dog park. The outdoor movie presentation was facilitated by the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County and was part of the Ohio Goes to the Movies series.
John said, based on the number of applications they have received from vendors, this week’s events figure to continue to grow.
“We will have a wide variety of food vendors,” he said. “We are still receiving applications for this month, so we are anticipating the month of July to be even bigger. So, more people, more food choices. We have an extended number of food choices this time, which is exciting.”
Not only is the number of vendors growing, he said, but the quality of their offerings is as well. John explained that they might have four or five vendors selling drinks, but they are all different, and they are all busy.
“Our true belief is if you have a good product and you market it well, it will sell,” he added.
“Our focus is local businesses, locally owned businesses, even if it’s a chain that’s locally owned,” John said. “We welcome them. We don’t apply for grants. This is all funded solely by event sponsors and the fees we charge for setting up a booth. When you break it all down, the amount of expense that is in this for a couple of hours is in the thousands of dollars.
“People don’t realize that,” he added. “This is put on by a committee of complete volunteers. Some of us are businesspeople, some of us just love the community. Some of us don’t even live in Wintersville, but we just love to see this happening. So, it’s a neat thing to do, seeing people from other places wanting to support it.”
John added it’s a good thing to see events expanding throughout the area. Whether it’s an outdoor concert in one of numerous area communities or a festival like First Fridays on Fourth Street in Steubenville, the presentations are great for their communities.
“It’s nice to see stuff like this grow,” he said. “Sometimes, when the streets are full of people and the music is playing, you feel like you’re in a scene from a movie or a TV show. It’s nice to see people. The part I love is when you walk up and down the street and everybody says ‘Hi,’ or ‘How are you?’ It’s like going back in time when these events take place.”
Wednesday’s in Wintersville is another of the events that are part of Jefferson County’s America 250 celebration. Those begin Saturday with Thunder in the Ville and continue Sunday with the veterans barbecue in Steubenville. Monday is the Quaker concert in Dillonvale, Tuesday is the World War I Memorial concert in Toronto, Thursday is the concert featuring the 1170 Jamboree Staff Band Reunion show at the Berkman Amphitheater, Friday is First Fridays on Fourth Street in Steubenville and July 4 features fireworks in Steubenville and Toronto.