Celebration’s 3-day run starts Thursday
By GLEN WERLING
Ossian Days returns to downtown Ossian this coming Thursday, Sept. 15.
The theme for this year’s street festival is “Renaissance in Ossian.”
Ossian Days Inc. Committee President A.J. Reynolds explained, “It’s from the French word meaning “re-birth” or “back again” and representing a historical time period of cultural, artistic, political and economic ‘rebirth’ following the Middle Ages.”
Reynolds said the Ossian Days Committee found this theme “resonant with where we are right now as a community and country.”
The Middle Ages is considered a dark period in history when Europe was decimated by the bubonic plague. Reynolds compared the coming out of that dark period to the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now as health advancements have alleviated the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the committee’s hope to celebrate a rebirth of our Ossian community,” Reynold said.
The theme was suggested by former Ossian Days Inc. president Stephanie Tucker. Her theme was chosen from several that were proposed by members of the community when the committee was searching for a theme in July.
Jefferson Street — Ind. 1 — the main north-south drag through town, will be closing to through traffic at 9 a.m. Thursday and the festival officially opens at 3 p.m.
However, the festival’s unofficial start is 90 minutes later at 4:30 p.m. with the start of the annual Ossian Revitalization pork chop dinner. Each dinner includes an eight-ounce smoked pork chop, baked potato, apple sauce, roll, a “sweet treat,” and a beverage. The pork chops are sourced locally from Ossian Smoked Meats.
The dinner is at the Event Tent on West Craig Street squarely in the middle of downtown Ossian. Carryout is also available.
Tickets for the dinner are $13 each and can be purchased at the Ossian Town Hall, the Farmers & Merchants State Bank at the main office in Ossian and the branch office in Bluffton, Ossian Do-It-Best Hardware, and the All American Ossian Deli. Tickets are also available from any member of the Ossian Economic Revitalization Committee.
During the dinner, at 6 p.m., two pies baked by local resident Helen Witte will be auctioned with the proceeds also benefiting Ossian Revitalization. The pies will be in special plates commissioned by Witte to commemorate the 2022 Ossian Days.
At 6:30 p.m., as the dinner is winding down, Ossian Revitalization will be presenting its Business of the Year Award followed by the announcement of the Ossian Days Committee’s Lance Hunter Humanitarian Award — the town’s citizen of the year award — all in the Event Tent. Who will win the awards remains a closely guarded secret until the moment that the awards are presented.
Norwell High School’s show choir will be hosting a fundraising grilled sausage dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday in the event tent.
The dinner will include a 1/4-pound sausage patty sandwich, greenbeans, a dinner roll, pretzels a cookie and bottled water.
Friday the annual Prince and Princess contest is set for the Event Tent at 6 p.m.
“This year’s theme of Renaissance in Ossian is sure to be on full display,” Reynolds said.
“Contestant applications are now closed but the voting for the contestants will be underway throughout various locations in Ossian including All American Ossian Deli, Farmers and Merchants State Bank and the Ossian library,” he added.
All proceeds from this year’s Prince and Princess contest will be given to Norwell Dollars for Scholars for scholarships for Norwell High School seniors.
The evening will wrap up with a performance by the Applejack Cloggers in front of the Event Tent at 7 p.m.
Saturday is chock full of events highlighted by the annual parade starting at 5 p.m. Line-up starts at 4 p.m. at the town hall, 507 N. Jefferson St. Anyone wishing to register an entry in the parade must do so online through the ossiandays.com website.
The parade route is from the town hall to LaFever Street thereafter the parade disperses. Float judging will be held before the parade. All floats are required to be checked in no later than 4:15 p.m. Anyone arriving after that will be disqualified from participation.
Parade participants are allowed to distribute candy, flyers and other promotional items, but are asked to hand them to the people lining the midway, not to throw them.
Grand marshals for this year’s parade are the Graber Family.
“Calvin and Caleb Graber became co-owners of Ginger Fresh Market. The two brothers with help from Anna May Graber and many other family and relatives, extensively remodeled the old Community Market and have breathed new life into a local and family-owned Ossian grocery store,” Reynolds observed, “The store has not only been successful it’s a point of pride for the Ossian Community. The store has been a welcome improvement to the life and community of Ossian.”
The committee members believe that Ginger Fresh best typified the idea of Renaissance.
“Who better to lead our famous parade down the midway this year than a local family bringing back a staple of small town life?”
Reynolds will emcee the parade along with on-air personalities Dan Austin, and Mike Dee from Fort Wayne radio station WQHK.
After the parade the Ossian Days committee will be presenting float awards and recognizing the platinum sponsors for the event.
From 6 to 9 p.m. there will be free face painting and balloon animals provided by Ossian Days Inc. beside the Ossian Days booth.
One other long-standing tradition of the festival is Bessie’s Movement cow patty bingo. The committee marks off a section of Craig Street west of the Event Tent Saturday into 240 individual squares with each square numbered. A ticket buys a square. Tickets are $5 each and are available from All American Ossian Deli, Ossian Do It Best Hardware, Ginger Fresh Market, and Farmers & Merchants State Bank.
“We only sell 240 tickets, so make sure to buy your tickets soon,” Reynolds urged.
Some lucky participant will receive $500 if Bessie picks that person’s square to do her business. If she poops across squares the prize is split.
Saturday’s events actually start with the St. Aloysius Yoder Knights of Columbus pancake and sausage breakfast starting at 7 a.m. and lasting to 10:30 a.m. in the Event Tent.
Simultaneously at Archbold-Wilson Memorial Park Pond will be the youth fishing tournament at 7 a.m. The 90-minute event concludes with prizes. There are three age groups for participants — 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and 11 to 15. While everyone will receive a prize, the top three in each age group will receive gift cards.
The Big Wheel race starts at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank. Sign-up is at 9:30 a.m. There are two age groups — 3 to 4 and 5 to 6. Big Wheels and helmets are supplied by the organizers of the event.
Each racer must have a completed general release form filled out and signed by a parent or legal guardian. That release form is available on the ossiandays.com website.
The event starts with heat races which consist of one lap for three and four year olds and two laps for five and six year olds. Trophy races are two laps for both age groups. All participants will receive a prize, while the winners will receive trophies. The awards are presented following the final race.
The gastrological event of the year for Ossian is also back with the doughnut hole eating contest Saturday at noon in front of the Event Tent. Doughnut holes and barf containers will be provided.
All participants must have a completed and signed general release form. Participants under the age of 18 must have their general release form signed by a parent or legal guardian. Everyone will need to submit their completed general release form at the Ossian Days Booth on the midway before they will be able to participate. The forms are downloadable from the ossiandays.com website.
Each contestant will have two minutes to eat as many doughnut holes as possible. Contestants must have the holes in their mouth by the end of two minutes. Then they will have 15 seconds to swallow what’s in their mouth.
If doughnuts are not swallowed, or are spit out, the contestant will be disqualified – at any time during the contest. One bottle of water will also be provided to each contestant.
In the event of a tie, a “sudden death milk chug-off” will determine the winner, Reynolds explained.
Age Groups are nine and under, 10 to 15, 16 to 25, and 26 and older.
Winning contestants will receive a custom doughnut hole eating T-shirt from the Ossian Days Committee.
Also Beer and Jessops Amusements will be bringing rides to the festival.
Bracelet Night will be Friday night for a cost of $25. Pre-sale ride tickets will also be available ahead of Ossian Days with a sheet of 20 tickets costing $20.
“Ossian Days Inc. is also happy to return to our partnership with the Northern Wells Food Pantry,” Reynolds said.
“We are offering an exchange of ride tickets in exchange for non-perishable food item donations. Donations can be made on the midway at the Food Pantry’s booth location,” Reynolds said.
I will be co-hosting the parade this year with K105’s very own Dan Austin, who joined us a few years back for the parade and is celebrating 25 years with the local station. New this year the 3rd co-host will be Mike Dee who hosts the radio midday show.
Closing out Ossian Days from 7 to 9 p.m. will be free live music from the Austin City Band in the Event Tent. The Austin City Band plays country, rock and roll, and oldies music.
Other events coinciding with Ossian Days will be the sale of apple dumplings at Ossian Presbyterian Church, corner of Jefferson and LaFever streets, starting at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Also, Mike Anderson Chevrolet on South Jefferson Street will be hosting a car, truck and motorcycle show in the lot. Registration for the Saturday even will be from 8 a.m. to noon with awards at 3 p.m. Pre-registration is $10 and registrants will receive a free T-shirt. Registration will be $12 the day of the show.
The show is an open show with vehicles representing the earliest days of automobile manufacturing to today.
The largest club present will receive $100 and a trophy. Other trophies will also be awarded along with dash plaques, door prizes and a silent auction.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Call 260-273-1447 for more information.
For a complete list of all of this year’s events check out the ossiandays.com website.
glenw@news-banner.com
