Local armed service members to be recognized at Shreve Homecoming
This year’s Shreve Homecoming is planned for Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9. Friday’s events start at 5 p.m. The First Responders Parade highlighting local EMS, firemen and police departments will begin at 6 p.m., starting at Shreve Elementary and continuing down Market Street to the stage setup for a Shreve Supports Our Troops rally.
The special rally is held to honor service men and women from the West Holmes and Triway areas. There are currently 140 names of local men and women who are actively serving in the military that will be recognized during the rally. Plus, all local veterans or family members of veterans are invited to be in the parade. Everyone who wants to participate in the parade will need to be at the school by 5:45 p.m. Each branch of the military will have its own float and veterans will be riding on the float of the branch they served.
Immediately following the rally, two awards will be given to people who have contributed and/or volunteered in the community, the 2011 Citizen Award and the Golden Heart Award. Also on Friday evening, a game zone tent will be open on the square for kids to enjoy a number of different games.
“We open the game zone for the little ones so that they can have fun and win a few prizes,” said Bill Fought, one of the coordinators of the Shreve Homecoming.
There will also be plenty of food offerings both on Friday and Saturday. “We have the best of fair foods planned on both days. French fries, lemonade, sandwiches, Lerch’s Donuts and we have a new offering, shaved ice, coming this year,” Fought said.
Friday evening ends with entertainment provided by Systems Go, which is a part of the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight. Saturday is also packed full of fun, food and more entertainment, starting with the garden tractor pull where the Strasburg Pullers compete using supercharged garden tractors to pull a heavy sled.
The annual Shreve Firemen’s chicken barbecue is planned to start at 4 p.m. at the fire station. The exciting and wet Firemen’s Water Barrel contest will also be held at the fire station while the firemen cook and serve the chicken. “Everybody loves this chicken,” Fought said.
Kids will be excited to see that the game zone will be open again on Saturday with an added attraction, an inflatable obstacle course. “It is a 52-foot inflatable and it’s more for the teenagers to race through,” Fought said.
Saturday also will have not one but two kiddie tractor pull competitions for kids age 4 to 11, located just off the square on McConkey Street. There will also be a tractor pull for kids older than 11 using a special larger sized tractor. That’s not all. A Classic Car Cruise-In starts at 5 p.m.
According to Fought, a cruise-in is where the car owners get to show off their cars and not worry about competing as they do in classic car shows. There will be live entertainment on Saturday evening with the Stick People, a rhythm and blues band. Just before the fireworks show, there is a cash drawing planned. Tickets can be purchased at a booth in the main midway.
To top the weekend off with a bang, the Orrville Firemen will be shooting off the fireworks. The Shreve Business and Community Association uses proceeds from the homecoming and other events to sponsor the fireworks display every year.
The Shreve Homecoming has been held yearly for more than a century. According to Fought, there are photos of the homecoming dating back to the 1800s. It’s always a great two-day event. While both evenings are packed full of events, Friday evening’s rally for the service personnel is especially moving.
The special rally is held to honor service men and women from the West Holmes and Triway areas. There are currently 140 names of local men and women who are actively serving in the military that will be recognized during the rally. Plus, all local veterans or family members of veterans are invited to be in the parade. Everyone who wants to participate in the parade will need to be at the school by 5:45 p.m. Each branch of the military will have its own float and veterans will be riding on the float of the branch they served.
Immediately following the rally, two awards will be given to people who have contributed and/or volunteered in the community, the 2011 Citizen Award and the Golden Heart Award. Also on Friday evening, a game zone tent will be open on the square for kids to enjoy a number of different games.
“We open the game zone for the little ones so that they can have fun and win a few prizes,” said Bill Fought, one of the coordinators of the Shreve Homecoming.
There will also be plenty of food offerings both on Friday and Saturday. “We have the best of fair foods planned on both days. French fries, lemonade, sandwiches, Lerch’s Donuts and we have a new offering, shaved ice, coming this year,” Fought said.
Friday evening ends with entertainment provided by Systems Go, which is a part of the U.S. Air Force Band of Flight. Saturday is also packed full of fun, food and more entertainment, starting with the garden tractor pull where the Strasburg Pullers compete using supercharged garden tractors to pull a heavy sled.
The annual Shreve Firemen’s chicken barbecue is planned to start at 4 p.m. at the fire station. The exciting and wet Firemen’s Water Barrel contest will also be held at the fire station while the firemen cook and serve the chicken. “Everybody loves this chicken,” Fought said.
Kids will be excited to see that the game zone will be open again on Saturday with an added attraction, an inflatable obstacle course. “It is a 52-foot inflatable and it’s more for the teenagers to race through,” Fought said.
Saturday also will have not one but two kiddie tractor pull competitions for kids age 4 to 11, located just off the square on McConkey Street. There will also be a tractor pull for kids older than 11 using a special larger sized tractor. That’s not all. A Classic Car Cruise-In starts at 5 p.m.
According to Fought, a cruise-in is where the car owners get to show off their cars and not worry about competing as they do in classic car shows. There will be live entertainment on Saturday evening with the Stick People, a rhythm and blues band. Just before the fireworks show, there is a cash drawing planned. Tickets can be purchased at a booth in the main midway.
To top the weekend off with a bang, the Orrville Firemen will be shooting off the fireworks. The Shreve Business and Community Association uses proceeds from the homecoming and other events to sponsor the fireworks display every year.
The Shreve Homecoming has been held yearly for more than a century. According to Fought, there are photos of the homecoming dating back to the 1800s. It’s always a great two-day event. While both evenings are packed full of events, Friday evening’s rally for the service personnel is especially moving.
Published: June 24, 2011
