An event to celebrate Salina’s “Old West” heritage is planned for Saturday. The Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair will take place in and around the Smoky Hill Museum at 211 W. Iron Avenue in downtown Salina. The Street Fair, which has no entry cost, is a day to celebrate the Old West with a chili cook-off, music, activities, food vendors and, of course, the museum itself.
According to the Museum, the Old West family fun starts with a parade down Santa Fe at 10:00 am. Then down and around the Museum at 211 W Iron Avenue, there will be Old West activities, a stagecoach, chili cook-off, historic demonstrators, free make-and-take crafts, caricaturists, Color Me Crazy airbrush tattoos and more.
The public tasting and voting for the chili cook-off will be from 11 am – 1:30 pm and it only costs $2 to sample all the chili. The People’s Choice award and Judges Choice winners will be announced at 2:00 pm on the main stage.
Speaking of the main stage, this year’s entertainment has all new, soon-to-be favorites. The schedule for the day:
- 11:00 am Steel Skarecrow with special guest Jared Brown and the Dirt Road Misfits
Steel Skarecrow is a group of highly talented and experienced musicians from around the Wichita, Kansas area. The band has developed a unique sound, blending nineties country, modern country, red dirt, and southern soul into a distinct sound all their own.
- 12:00 noon Jake Gill
Country singer Jake Gill brings raw energy and charisma to his performances. He likes to make physical connections with the audience, whether that is through eye contact or pulling them out of the audience to share a dance.
- 1:00 pm Eating Contests sponsored by Bravo Sliders-N-Bites, The Cozy Inn, and Martinelli’s Little Italy
- 2:00 pm Chili Cook-off Winners Announced
- 2:15 pm David Zerf
Zerf is a singer/songwriter and Manhattan, Kansas, native. His repertoire consists of Kansas cowboy and pioneer tunes, and original songs of Kansas frontier towns and characters.
- 3:00 pm Steel Skarecrow with special guest Jared Brown and the Dirt Road Misfits
The museum gallery is open 10 am – 5 pm for everyone to enjoy the special exhibit, Step Up to the Task. In addition, there is the popular hands-on interactive exhibit, The Curiosity Shop. The Museum Store is also open with selections of Kansas-made items and locally made artwork.
