Downtown event
Octoberfaire kicks off Saturday in Ontario
By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Friday, October 2, 2009 10:30 AM PDT
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| A banner announcing the 17th annual Octoberfaire, hosted by the Downtown Ontario Business Association, flits in the breeze in downtown Ontario. This year’s Octoberfaire will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday in Ontario’s downtown. |
ONTARIO — From free pony rides to a bike rally, this year’s Downtown Ontario Business Association Octoberfaire, set for Saturday, promises a variety of fun family activities as the annual event enters its 17th year.
Downtown Ontario Business Association Treasurer Cheryl Cruson, owner of Oregon Trail Hobbies & Gifts, said the organization has gained a lot of steam this year by building up membership, and the business owners are enthusiastic about the annual event.
“This year’s Octoberfaire looks better than ever,” Cruson said.
South Oregon Street will be closed an extra block, from Southwest First Avenue to Southwest Fifth, as opposed to Southwest Fourth as it has in the past, and this year, at last count, 40 vendors were slated to be set up throughout the area, but that number could go up, Cruson said.
Activities, however, will the highlight of the day, and they will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The local event actually kicks off with a biker fest breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Elk’s Lodge. As part of the bike fest, a new attraction, Cruson said, will be a motorcycle show and shine from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with bike games and a loud pipe contest beginning at 2 p.m. Show and Shine voting closed at 4 p.m., and awards will go out at 4:30 p.m.
For those athletically-inclined, there is a 5-kilometer fun run or walk at 10 a.m. beginning at the park on South Oregon. Registration for the run opens at 9 a.m.
Another special feature this year is cowboy poet Bruce Looselip who’s bringing with him singer Arizona Kennedy. They will be performing in front of Oregon Trail Hobbies & Gifts near the raffle table.
The day will also feature plenty of activities for children, including a Ping-Pong drop sponsored by ICB Bank. A drop for children 3 through 6 years will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and a drop for children 7 through 10 begins at 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. The Boys & Girls Club will also have a number of different children’s activities, such as bouncy bounces. Free pony rides and a roping activity will also be taking place.
The Family Book Store will have a reading tent, and children stories will be read throughout the day by local author Judy Cox and others.
At 2 p.m. or so, Project Dove is conducting an introductory “Walk in her Shoes” activity, which is also slated for April, in which local male celebrities will spend time walking in high heels, Cruson said.
Like last year, the American Business Women’s Association will sponsor Antiques at the Depot, which will feature local antique dealers helping with the evaluation of items people bring in.
Cruson said the vendors coming in also run the gamut, from food to crafts, jewelry, furniture, clothes, cosmetics, blown glass and more.
“So there’s a nice variety,” Cruson said of the vendors and activities.
And the Downtown Ontario Business Association doesn’t plan to stop with Octoberfaire, Cruson said.
“We’re hoping to have at least an event every quarter for the downtown area,” she said, adding the next event will be a winter festival.
The events take a lot of planning, but Cruson said they are an integral part of what makes up a community, and the Downtown Ontario Business Association wants to maintain the momentum already built with Octoberfaire.
“Well, a few of us are making an effort in getting downtown revitalized and a real vibrant place to be, and I think our efforts are starting to pay off,” Cruson said.
