DUKE CENTER — Even rural communities know how to do it big, and in the absence of the famed Old Home Days in Otto-Eldred, coming Friday and Saturday will be the second annual Otto-Eldred Hometown Days at the Otto Township Memorial Park on Sweitzer Drive.
Friday night, events will begin at 4 p.m. where community members and visitors can mingle while finding that perfect spot to set up to watch the grand parade at 5 p.m. The parade is a large event, but it is only the beginning of the O-E Hometown Days celebration. Following the parade will be performances by the McKean County Fair Queens on the UPMC Stage. Area band County Lines will be wrapping up the evening by playing from 7:30 to 10 p.m. along with Ax Throwing and beverages for purchase from the Whiskey Wagon.
A 5K Color Run/Walk will kick-off Saturday morning at 9 a.m., with registration for the event at 8:45 a.m. Goat Yoga will be happening at 10 a.m. down at the park following the races.
Fan favorites that are coming back to the event include the Street Dreams Car Club Car Show, a Tractor Pull, Corn Hole Tournaments, Inflatable Kids Rides, Face Painting and Touch-a-Truck! New to the O-E Hometown Days this year is the Scottish Highland Games. Come watch the extreme spectacles of strength and power as individuals compete in feats of strength. The Scottish Highland Games are modeled after historical highland games relating to aspects of Scottish and Gaelic cultures which centered around athletic and sports competitions, which explains why the competitors are often wearing kilts and bagpipes are played. Events at modern Scottish Highland Games often include the stone put, which is similar to the modern-day shot put but instead of a steel ball a large stone is used; the Scottish hammer throw; weight throw; Sheaf toss, throwing a bundle of straw wrapped in burlap tossed vertically with a pitchfork over a raised bar; and the caber throw, which is the throwing of a long, branchless tree.
Live musical performances will take place all day by Kevin and Grant, Blindside and the Bob Hartle Band. Eric Jones will be creating a one-of-a-kind sand sculpture on site during the festivities, and offering free caricatures following the sculpting from noon to 4 p.m. Food and craft vendors will be set-up throughout the park. Although there is no official admission fee for the weekend events, a suggested donation of $2 for individuals and $5 for families is encouraged to help support the growth of the event.
Sponsors for this years celebration include Ball Financial Services, Jim Coast Sales and Services, Todd Busses Inc., Little Nippers, Taylor & Armstrong Contracting Inc., Mountain Laurel Federal Credit Union, Stephen Troisi, CPA, O-E Sports Boosters, Eldred Veterans’ Club, DC Trash and Treasure, Model T Inn, Kinley Corp — Allegany, N.Y., UPMC Cole, Otto Township Lions Club, 100.1 FM “The Hero,” NAPA Auto Parts — Port Allegany, Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Department, Eldred Township Supervisors, Worth W. Smith — Eldred, Hagg’s Tax Team, Northern Star Lodge #555, Fraternal Order of Eagles — Bradford, Six Star Auto and Munchies.
For more information about the weekend events, visit https://www.facebook.com/otohd.
