Killbuck Early American Days focuses on family fun

In hopes of generating more buzz around the upcoming Killbuck Early American Days Festival Aug. 30-31, the committee has brought in some new activities, sights and sounds, all of which should make for an enjoyable couple of days for the entire family.

According to Erica Ash, one of the committee members, the push to add fresh, new entertainment with some old favorites was a driving factor in creating this year’s venue.

“We’re really trying to get the attendance up from years past,” Ash said. “We really worked hard to create a combination of new and old that would be enticing to families and to a large part the kids. Plus, we tried to make everything we could free to keep expenses down for families.”

On Saturday, Aug. 30, the weekend will begin with a 5k fun walk at 8 a.m. and softball tournament at 9 a.m., an event that will take place all weekend.

The day invites kids to join the fun including a kiddie tractor pull, petting zoo, kids zone and a giant bubble station.

The Killbuck Valley Museum will open at 10 a.m., with singer Ceci Taylor taking the stage from 1-2 p.m. The queen’s contest will be in the Duncan Theater at 1 p.m., magician Brendan Trojan will take the stage at 3 p.m., the RC Car Race will be at 4:30 p.m. and Aerialists Take Flight will start at 5 p.m.

Then there is the challenging and fun part of the weekend, the fireman water fights.

Killbuck Fire Chief Derwin Clemens said this event features departments from all over the area competing to earn the top spot in the contest.

The fun will kick off during Killbuck Early American Days on Aug. 30, beginning at 1 p.m., where local firefighter teams will battle it out for bragging rights with a water barrel fight.

The evening will conclude with a free concert featuring the band Chasin’ Aldean Experience. It also will be Aug. 30 and will take place at the main square in Killbuck. No tickets are required for this free event. The band will take the stage and perform from 7-9 p.m.

On Sunday, Aug. 31, the grand parade will be featured at 2 p.m., with the VFW chicken barbecue providing some good eats beginning at noon.

The West Holmes High School marching band will take center stage at 3 p.m., the vintage car show will start at 3:30 p.m. in the Burgett Insurance parking lot and the community will celebrate Killbuck Savings Bank’s 125th anniversary.

“Killbuck Savings Bank has always been such a huge part of our community, and we just recently tabbed Lisa Kauffman, who has been at the bank for more than 40 years, as this year’s grand parade marshal,” Ash said.

A pie eating contest will start on the square at 5 p.m., accompanied by a dunk tank from 4-5 p.m.

Then at dark around 9 p.m., there will be a featured summer outdoor movie, “The Minecraft Movie,” suited for the entire family.

Perhaps the most enticing family-friendly event will take place from 4-6 p.m., with Killbuck’s Big Top Game Night providing some entertainment.

“We felt that we wanted to design a yearly theme to help us change it up every year, and we happened across this group called Big Fun Circus, and they are bringing in some really great kids activities,” Ash said.

Featuring free cake and ice cream in honor of KSB, carnival games with prizes, and a street magician, as well as a kids zone featuring face painting, giant bubbles, a roaming juggler, a stilt walker, and a rollerskating butterfly and balloon twister, it should be a fun couple of hours for the children.

“The aerialist is a big part of their show, and they’ve got things for kids of all ages,” Ash said.

She said while they couldn’t bring in live circus animals, they did create the kids petting zoo, something she said quickly drew a great deal of buzz throughout the community.

The entire schedule is listed on the festival’s Facebook page, and Ash said they are currently seeking volunteers to help with the parade. Anyone wishing to lend a hand can call Ash at 304-488-8440.