File Photo
This year’s Sinclairville History Fair will again include horse drawn wagon rides.
SINCLAIRVILLE – Sinclairville’s History Fair will be making its own history this weekend.
Saturday’s fair will be the 25th time the event has occurred in Sinclairville. “I never thought that when we first got going that we would still be here,” said Dean Houser, one of the organizers of the History Fair.
The fair was the brainchild of the Valley Historical Society. They wanted to have a community festival in the downtown area and be able to open their doors for the community to stop in and see what they have.
They approached the village and the rest is “history.”
The day begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast at the Sinclairville Fire Hall put on by the Sinclairville ’76ers. Breakfast will be served until 9:30 a.m.
At 10 a.m. is the grand parade, which begins at Sinclairville Elementary School and goes to the center of the village. Anyone is welcome to join in. For more information or to register, call Doug Goodwill at 716-450-2228.
Just before the parade at 9:50 a.m., there will be a memorial service at the downtown park, Minkler’s Commons. “This is something we actually started after the 9/11 ordeal and we’ve carried it on ever since,” Houser said. They will be honoring not only members of the military, but first responders as well.
After the parade until 5 p.m. will be a craft show farmer’s market. Along with craft vendors, food trucks will be there. For crafters, tables cost $10. Call Doug Goodwill at 716-450-2228 to register.
There will also be bands playing, starting at 11 a.m. and will be performing all day. Performers at the bandstand include The Scroggins at 11 a.m., the Rustic Ramblers from 3-6 p.m. At the Church Street Stage, Paul Zittel & Pure Country will be performing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A street dance in the tent with D.J. Felony will take place at 5 p.m. until sunset.
There’s a number of other events that will be occurring in the downtown square, which runs between the Sinclairville Fire Hall, the commons and the library.
At the library after the parade, there will be a face painter and a ventriloquist/magician. This officially starts at 11 a.m.
There will also be bounce houses and horse-drawn wagon tours free of charge.
A chicken barbecue will be at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $15, full dinners only. The chicken will be prepared by the village fire department, but the proceeds will actually benefit the library.
There will be classic cars and tractors on display on the village hall lawn and at the Samaritan House parking lot. Many of those vehicles participate in the parade beforehand. “There will be prizes awarded in each category,” Houser said.
There are other contests taking place during the History Fair as well.
There will be a “beautiful baby” contest at 11 a.m. Prizes will be awarded to all entrants. Children must be under 2 years of age to be entered. Pre-registration is not required.
There is going to be a “Grandma’s Fruit Pie” contest. Rules and entry forms are available at the Sinclairville Superette and the Sinclairville Free Library.
Beginning at noon there will be a pickleball tournament. It will be a “round-robin” style tournament. If the weather is good, the tournament will take place at the Sinclairville ballfields. If it rains, it will be held at Park Church, 49 Sinclair Drive.
There will be an all-breeds dog show at 1:30 p.m. at the fire hall. It is sponsored by Purina, which is providing various prizes. Pre-registration is not required, although dogs must be on leashes.
At 2 p.m. there will be a guided historic Evergreen Cemetery Tour. Attendees will visit the gravestones of famous local residents, as well as the Civil War monument.
At the Valley Historical Society Museum, there will be different items on display and in use, including butter churning, spinning wheels, weaving and more.
To close out the day, there will be fireworks at 9 p.m. Because this is the History Fair’s 25th anniversary, they’ve ordered an extra-large show. “We’re probably going to have double the fireworks we normally have,” Houser said.
The History Fair draws not only local residents but from elsewhere in the county and Western New York.
Houser shared the story of how a family from the Buffalo area was driving through during the History Fair and decided to check it out for the day. “They thought it was a great thing. All of a sudden they spied a house that was for sale and they moved to Sinclairville,” he said.