Caledonia
‘Country Faire’ pays tribute to military service
Summer is festival time in many communities and next Saturday, Caledonia will be host to a one day event that will include a lot of fun for families, but more important, a salute to military service men and women.
The Olde Glory Country Faire will take place July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Matthew Cleary Post American Legion on Church Street and in the adjacent Hamilton Park. Rita Kanaley, owner of Country Junktion on Main Street, Caledonia, is organizing the special country faire.
“My parents both served in WWII and told me stories when I was a little girl. I’m really pleased to honor the veterans through this event and also to offer a day of hometown fun to those who attend,” Kanaley commented.
The event is a collaborative effort of several businesses and organizations in the community coming together for a special summer event. There will be vendors at the legion building selling country wares and inside, Chestnut Bay Quilt Shop will have a quilt show.
A local farm will bring sheep and various fiber goods and Coyle Farms will have a variety of fresh vegetables available. It’s not too late to plant perennials and Zantopia Gardens will have many to choose from. The Episcopal Church will have a game called, By the Pound, where you can try your chances at winning a one-pound mystery prize.
Are sweets more your fancy? You’ll want to check out the cake walk game, a chance to win a cake and the pie eating contest. The Matthew Cleary Post will cooking hot dogs and say, “You ain’t had nothing yet, til you had a hot dog from a vet!”
Snapshots will be there all day for your chance to capture you and your friend or favorite veteran’s photo. A country faire is not compete without a corn on the cob eating contest.
Two teams will go head to head to see who can eat the most corn on the cob. The Village of Caledonia DPW and Village Trustee Steve Polo’s teams will vie for the bragging rights.
Honor Flight will join in the festivities of the day with Caledonia’s WWII veteran Stanley Rychlicki alongside to share the wonderful stories of the dozens of honor flights he’s greeted.
Kanaley has been printing and laminating photographs of local veterans and they will be on exhibit in Hamilton Park.
Admission to the event is free.
