Charm Days ushers in fall on Oct.7-8

  • By Kyle Valentini
  • September 27, 2011
  • 295
                        
Summary: It’s that time of year again. When the leaves begin to change from green to brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow it is time to visit Charm for their annual fundraising event, Charm Days. Two days of food, fun, fellowship and fundraising help support individuals from the community, the Charm Community Share ‘N Care Fund, Holmes County Hospice and the Charm School. The village of Charm prepares for their annual festival just as the leaves begin to change color. Charm Days will be held October 7-8 when the village of less than 100 will welcome thousands of visitors to the quaint and quiet community for two days of fun, food, fellowship and fundraising. Charm Days began in 1982 with just a few local merchants participating in a customer appreciation day. The concept quickly grew into a weekend of fundraising for the Charm Community Share ‘N Care Fund, a local organization that assists individuals and families in need when disaster or tragedy strikes. By 1988 most Charm merchants were participating in the event. Charm Days is filled with contests, food, fun, auctions and even an usual caterpillar race that attracts young and the young at heart to the two-day event, seamlessly coordinated by a long list of dedicated volunteers that guarantee its success every fall. Local merchants throughout the village feature their biggest sales of the year to make shopping more enjoyable than ever. Visitors will find bargains galore at participating merchants and may want to stock up on goods they will need for the colder months that are just ahead. A large tent fills the lawn of Charm Elementary School in case of inclement weather and the festival begins with the Wooly Worm Derby. School-age children compete with their favorite wooly worms crawling up a string, encouraging them along the way in any way they can. “Even the teachers from Charm School and local merchants participate. This gets the adults involved. It’s a lot of fun,” said John Swaffer, Keim Lumber’s Advertising Manager. The Wooly Worm Derby begins Friday at 12:30p.m. Throughout the day Charm Days will feature benefit lunch stands, bake sales, barbecued chicken, homemade ice cream, homemade soft pretzels, kettle chips made to order and delicious kettle corn. “Both Friday and Saturday’s lunch stand proceeds will benefit Mervin H. Troyer of Fresno and the Charm School. Friday’s bake sale will benefit Arlen Erb of Fresno and Saturday’s bake sale will benefit Levi M. Miller of Millersburg,” said Swaffer. Friday evening’s events include a volleyball and cornhole tournament with proceeds benefiting charities chosen by the participants. The competition is serious and so is the fundraising cause that motivates the players. Both competitions begin at 6:30 p.m. Music begins at 7 p.m. Old time fiddle playing and musicians John Schmidt, Northwest Territory, Stockdale Family and Virginia Cross Ties, a four-piece gospel bluegrass group from the mountains of southwest Virginia, will be keeping audiences entertained. “Virginia Cross Ties is new this year and we hope everyone will enjoy them,” said Swaffer. The world famous Dennis Raber pancake and sausage breakfast will begin Saturday morning at 6 a.m. with proceeds benefiting Pat and Larry Lang of Millersburg. The flea market opens at 7 a.m. Early risers will have the opportunity to shop when the selection will be at its best. The horseback fun show begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and will include several events. Participation is open to the public and will include the scoop shovel race. The scoop shovel race is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Participants sit in a shovel pulled by a horse in a fast-paced race that lasts 100 yards through grass and mud. Participants are encouraged to arrive an hour before the events in order to register. The benefit auction is the main event of Charm Days and has raised nearly $40,000 for the Charm Community Share ‘N Care Fund in previous years. “It’s the largest fundraiser for Share “n Care and does so much good for the people in the community,” said Swaffer. The auction begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday. This year’s auction will include a clock and a handcrafted quilt. “The auction always includes donations from the community and we never know what will show up until just before the event,” said Ivan J. Miller of Keim Lumber. As part of the fun, Keim Lumber will have a replica of the Conestoga wagon, Big Freighter; the wagon that brought the first Amish family to Sugarcreek many years ago. A community silent auction will be held during the event to benefit Holmes County Hospice. Keim Lumber will have the drawings for prizes from local merchants on Saturday at 4 p.m. and that will include the Grand Prize of $1000. “It gets pretty crowded during Charm Days. People come from all over because it’s a lot of fun and it’s for a good cause,” said Swaffer.


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