On September 10th there will be an Ohio River Cruise aboard the Gateway Clipper with CNN’s 2013 Hero of the Year, author and founder of Living Lands and Waters, Chad Pregracke.  This event is sponsored by the Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District.

Guest will have the opportunity to hear Chad relate his adventures cleaning up the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers over the past nine years with his crew of over 87,000 volunteers.  He is sure to amuse and inspire as he shares his journey from a one man cleaning crusade at the age of 17 to the collection of over 8.4 million pounds of debris from our Nation’s greatest rivers.

Luncheon cruise will board at the Steubenville Marina at 11:45am on Saturday, September 10th and depart for the two hour sail.

General admission ticket is $50.  VIP ticket is $150 and includes cruise ticket and VIP reception following the cruise where guests will receive a photo with Chad, signed book, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Seating has been reconfigured on this ‘Sold Out’ event to accommodate additional guests, so there are only a limited number of tickets available.

For more information or to purchase a ticket call 740.264.9790.

The 39th Annual Festival of the Arts in Toronto, Ohio, takes place this weekend, September 3rd and 4th.

This annual fun filled exciting event offers over 100 vendors, a car show, continuous live entertainment, the Charlie Vantiburg Cornhole Tournament, the THS Poetry Contest, the Teeny-Tiny Turtle Race, great food and so much more.

Festival hours on Saturday are 10am-8pm, with Opening Ceremony featuring the Toronto High Band and Little Miss Lion at 11am.    Hours on Sunday are Noon -5pm.

Be sure to stop by the Focus in Toronto Booth near the Gazebo to get your hourly raffle tickets, 50/50 tickets, Featured Raffle item tickets, Turtle Adoption Certificates, and a Discover Toronto, OH shirt. With over 100 vendors they will be raffling over 5 items an hour. All proceeds help sustain the Festival of the Arts, the Christmas Parade and Vendor Bazaar, and FIT’s other yearly activities and donations.    Featured Raffle Item –  Local photographer, 24 Jupiter, is providing two canvas portraits to be raffled off on Sunday the 4th. These canvas portraits feature an outstanding picture of the former Toronto High School in winter, and the new Stadium at dusk. Stop by for a chance to claim these two beauties.

Teeny-Tiny Turtle Race – Each year Focus in Toronto hosts the Teeny-Tiny Turtle Race at Newburg Landing.  With a $5 donation you can enter the race and have a chance to win one of three cash prizes.  Each adopted turtle has a number that corresponds to the certificate.  You can adopt your turtle at participating Toronto locations, or at the Festival.   The first turtle to cross the finish line wins.  Please note that the rubber turtles remain the property of FIT.   1st Place:  $500, 2nd Place $100, 3rd Place: $50.

Following is a listing of activities and entertainment for both days:

Saturday Activities:

10:00AM – 3PM: 2nd Annual Car Show – Sponsored by 247 Kustoms 

10:00AM – 8:00PM: Inflatables, Games, Rides by Movin’ N Groovin’

10:00AM – 8:00PM: Festival Art Exhibit

3:00PM: Charlie Vantilburg Cornhole Tournament (Register at the FIT Booth)

Saturday Entertainment:

11:00AM: Opening Ceremony: THS Band & Little Miss Lion

12:00PM: Shelly Irvine and the Steeltones

1:30PM: Tammy Spicer

3:00PM: Powers Martial Arts

3:30PM: The Place For Dance

4:00PM: Roz and Lynn

5:00PM: Titan Cheerleaders

5:30PM: The Bethany James Band

6:30PM: The Lo-Fi Project

Sunday Activities:

12:00PM – 5:00PM: Inflatables, Games, Rides by Movin’ N Groovin’

12:00PM – 5:00PM: Festival Art Exhibit

1:30PM: TEMS vs. Police Department Wing Eating Contest

3:00PM: Teeny-Tiny Turtle Race – $500 Cash Prize

4:30PM: 50/50, THS canvas, and THS Stadium Canvas Raffle

Sunday Entertainment

12:00PM: Shelly Irvine & The Steeltones

1:30PM: Toronto Middle School Cheerleaders

2:00PM: Yankee Grey Band

3:00PM Toronto High School Cheerleaders

3:30PM: Ron Retzer Trio

For more information go to:   www.focusintoronto.com/festival

Casting call!

STEUBENVILLE NUTCRACKER VILLAGE
c/o OLD FORT STEUBEN
120 S THIRD ST
STEUBENVILLE OH 43952

Resident of Steubenville Nutcracker Village

The Mount Pleasant Annual Tour sponsored by the Historical Society of Mount Pleasant is going to take place this weekend, August 6th and 7th.    Mount Pleasant is located in Jefferson County, at the junction of SR 647 & SR 150 from US 250.

There are new buildings and exciting events added to the tour this year.  The hours have also been extended for the tour to 10:00am – 6:00pm on Saturday, August 6th and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sunday, August 7th.

In addition to the society owned properties (Harris Bone Store; Elizabeth House; Historical Center; Burriss Store; Tin Shop), visitors will also have the opportunity to tour the ca. 1814 Quaker Yearly Meeting House state historic landmark.  Representatives from the Ohio History Connection will be on hand at the Benjamin Lundy House/ Free Labor Store to explain the history and significance of the building and detail plans for the extensive restoration of the building.  Visitors can get a sneak peek inside the original Free Labor Store section – believed to be the last extant Free Labor Store in the country.

Additional tour stops include the ca. 1846 Samuel Gill house, located next to the Evangelical Friends Church.  This house was recently purchased by the church and has undergone extensive restoration.  This will be the first time in many decades that the house has been open for the tour.  Directly across the street is the ca. 1800 Humphreville cabin.  This structure, recently purchased by society directors Don & Angela Feenerty, is undergoing intensive restoration to take the building back to its original log form.  For the first time ever tour visitors will be able to take a glimpse into one of the earliest structures in the entire Upper Ohio Valley.

On the other end of town is the crowd favorite J. Brown house, owned by Gary Reynard and Justin McCrea.  The home was originally two separate homes – one built in 1830 and the other in 1918.  An exhibition of paintings by local artist Harold Reynard, a great-cousin of Gary’s, will be on display.

Just a few miles outside of town the ca. 1837 Hicksite Meeting House will be open.  Restoration of the meeting house is underway and visitors may stroll through the small cemetery behind the building — the final resting place for several Underground Railroad conductors and Quaker Civil War soldiers.

Additional attractions during the tour will be an authentic drovers encampment set up near the Quaker Yearly Meeting House.  Society member Bill Sutton will be on hand with an early 19th century wagon that he spent the past year restoring.  The Heritage Dance Association will give historic dance demonstrations beneath the portico of the Evangelical Friends Church.

Shoppers will want to check out the sale at Second Chance Antique Store in town.  The Rodak family, who recently purchased the old Lone Tree restaurant, will have the building open to sell their locally produced honey.

The Elizabeth House Tea Room will be open to serve a light lunch and refreshments.

Visitors are also encouraged to visit the nearby Farm Restaurant and Black Sheep Winery.

For more information or questions, please contact the Historical Society at 1.800.752.2631.