ELNORA — Step back in time and enjoy some free entertainment at the Elnora Quasquicentennial this weekend. The festival celebrating Elnora’s 125th anniversary will begin at 5 p.m. Friday with the Best Beard Contest and continue through Sunday with a variety of old-fashioned contests and events, such as cake walks, pie-eating and table-decorating contests. Downtown will be blocked off, according to Ron Critchlow, festival committee member, and all events will take place in the vicinity of Main and Odon streets. Free parking will be available across from the Sunoco station. “I anticipate a very large crowd,” Critchlow said. “I urge everyone to bring chairs. We’ll have some straw bales around to sit on.” The Home Town Pride Parade will follow the beard contest at 5:30 p.m. to kick things off. “Parade lineup will be at the fire station at 4:30,” he said. “It’ll come to Odon Street, go all the way down and disperse on Adaline Street.” Other Friday-night highlights include a cornhole tournament beginning at 6 p.m., Kade Puckett in concert at 7 p.m. and a free movie at 9:30 p.m. “The movie ‘Up’ will be shown on the side of Harry Lee’s old building on Main Street,” Critchlow said. “People should bring their own lawn chairs. That’s the way they used to do it back in the early ’50s ... in all these small towns, that’s what they used for entertainment on weekends.” He explained that all the quasquicentennial activities are simple, old-fashioned ones that would’ve been enjoyed back in Elnora’s heyday, and people dressing in period costume for the festival will be judged throughout the weekend. The winner will be named at 4 p.m. Sunday. “We’ve got some really good entertainment lined up,” Critchlow continued. “Kade Puckett is really good, and John Danner and the Roosters are really good.” Elaine Dayhoff will be in concert at 1 p.m. Saturday. John Danner and the Roosters will perform Saturday night at 8 p.m. Immediately prior to that, Jillian Reed of Salem, winner of last weekend’s Battle of the Bands Contest, will perform. On Sunday at 2 p.m., Fearless Delivery will be in concert. Other Saturday events include a 9 a.m. horseshoe tournament; a 2 p.m. speech from Abe Lincoln, portrayed by Dean Dorrell; Elnora Idol at 3 p.m., with a 17-and-younger category and an 18-and-older category; karaoke at 5 p.m.; a 6 p.m. baby contest with categories for 0-12 months, 13-24 months and 25-36 months; and a Miss and Mister Elnora pageant for children ages 4-6 and 7-9. Also on Saturday, town hall will be turned into an Elnora museum with scrapbooks and photos showing Elnora through the years. It will be open from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday highlights include a 9:30 a.m. community church service on the Methodist Church grounds and a covered-dish fellowship luncheon at the Christian Church shelter house, along with the Fearless Delivery performance. At 1 p.m., there will be a table-decorating contest, and at 3 p.m. there will be a pig chase for children, who get to keep the pig if they catch it. Throughout the weekend festival, several vendors will have craft and flea market booths. There will be an information and registration booth at Main and Odon streets, as well, for people who want to sign up for the contests or have questions about events. Critchlow said he’s heard from a lot of out-of-state people originally from Elnora who are interested in the town’s celebration. He said part of the idea for the festival is to bring people back to town. “Kind of like a homecoming, really,” he explained. “If this is successful, we’d like to have it every year.” According to Critchlow, Elnora was incorporated in 1885, when it got its name from a respected railroad man. Before that, it was called Owltown.
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A banner across SR 57 in Elnora welcomes those returning to help celebrate the town’s quasquicentennial this weekend. The fun starts Friday and activities are scheduled through Sunday. Nate Smith
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