By SALINA POST
It's almost time for the Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair!
The event is scheduled for Saturday in and around the museum, 211 W. Iron Avenue in downtown Salina. Entry to the street fair is open to the public at no charge.
According to information from the museum, the street fair is a time to celebrate the Old West with a chili cook-off, music, activities, food vendors and, of course, the museum itself.
Salina's Old West is the theme for this year's parade, which is scheduled to kick off the festivities at 10 a.m. at the N. Santa Fe Avenue/Elm Street intersection. The parade will travel south on Santa Fe Avenue and conclude at South Street.
A variety of activities will then be available in the area of the museum, including an Old West chuck wagon, horseshoe tossing, roping, archery, blacksmithing, chili cook-off, free make-and-take crafts, a caricaturist, and Color Me Crazy airbrush tattoos, according to information from the museum.
Those attending will get the opportunity to taste a various chili samples and vote for the winner of the street fair chili cookoff from noon to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $2 to sample chili from six booths. The People’s Choice Award and best decorated booth winners will be announced at 2 p.m. on the main stage.
Also on the main stage will be some returning favorites and some new acts. Following is the schedule and performer information as provided by the museum.
11 a.m.: Steel Skarecrow. The Wichita-area band's unique sound is a blend of '90s country, modern country, red dirt, and southern soul.
Noon: Everyday Lights. These Salina-based musicians have a love for folk and jazz rhythms. Their unique instrumentation and improvised harmony gives them a fresh, creative sound.
1 p.m.: Don Wagner and Friends. This group is comprised of four local musicians. Because of their diverse musical backgrounds, the band arranges and performs a variety of musical genres ranging from folk and country to rock and blues as well as original compositions.
2:15 p.m.: David Zerf. A singer-songwriter from Manhattan, this original Kansas Cowboy Minstrel's repertoire consists of Kansas cowboy and pioneer tunes, and original songs of Kansas frontier towns and characters.
3 p.m.: Steel Skarecrow
The museum gallery is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. with its special exhibit, Let’s Play. In addition, there is the popular hands-on interactive exhibit, The Curiosity Shop. The Museum Store also is scheduled to be open with selections of Kansas-made items and locally made artwork.