Fun Fest to Fill Downtown Massillon

Massillon Cable TV, the Massillon Museum, and the Downtown Massillon Association invite all area families to participate in this year’s Fun Fest, which will be held on Saturday, August 8, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Fun Fest, a Massillon Alive event, has entertained thousands of families in downtown Massillon for fifteen years.

Admission to the family-focused event is free. There is no cost for most activities; some have a minimal charge.

Children will enjoy games, story times, prizes, face painting, contests, art projects, dancing, crafts, health and safety activities, athletic events, and music. The Stump Hill Farm Petting Zoo, a rock climbing wall from the Ohio Army National Guard, and the Massillon Museum’s shirt tie-dyeing will be among the favorite activities. The Tuslaw Lions train ride; costumed characters; and the Massillon Public Library Bookmobile will be on hand.

Among the familiar organizations offering activities, demonstrations, and information will be Girl Scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, churches, Massillon Parks and Recreation Department, the Salvation Army, Massillon Family YMCA, YWCA of Massillon, Massillon cheerleaders, Lighthouse Visions, Canton Ballet, Spring Hill Historic Home, and the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. Dozens more will join them.

The Lions Lincoln Theatre will show "Night at the Museum." A schedule of events and times will be available on the Museum corner of Lincoln Way and First Street on the day of the event.

The Health Plan will sponsor a giant slide. Bonnie’s Engravers Gallery will back the inflatable bounce house, and Rotary Club of Massillon will sponsor the rock climb slide. Massillon Cable TV will present the inflatable obstacle course and bungee run, while The Independent will sponsor the New England Garden Club’s popular flower arranging station. The Sons of Herman will sponsor the clowns, Philbee and Bertha. The Health Foundation of Greater Massillon will sponsor a hand-washing station.

Organizations, human services agencies, and businesses will distribute free items such as coloring books, pencils, balloons, banks, bookmarks, and puzzles. Emergency crews and vehicles—including Massillon Fire Department, art organizations, magicians, musical groups, and others who offer programs of interest to young people will help make Fun Fest a lively, safe, educational, and enriching experience.

Organizers Liz Gessner McAllister of Massillon Cable TV and Jill Malusky Bacon of the Massillon Museum, tout the event as “a great day for kids ages four to ninety-four and their families.” Fun Fest is intended to provide all the fun of a carnival with a focus on meaningful activities. Many of the organizations and businesses that offer activities provide valuable health, safety, and educational information to parents while entertaining the children.

Fun Fest is sponsored by Massillon Cable TV, the Massillon Museum, and the Downtown Massillon Association. Each year more than five dozen organizations and businesses make the event possible through their exhibits, performances, sponsorships, donations, and participation.

Fun Fest is centered on First Street and Lincoln Way East and on the lawn of the Massillon Museum. Free parking is available in city lots, the parking deck, and on adjacent streets. For more information, contact the Massillon Museum, 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.

Media Contacts:
Liz Gessner, Massillon Cable TV - 330-833-6655
Jill Malusky Bacon, Massillon Museum - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum - 330-844-1525

“Do the Mu!”—Mega Murals with Bili Kribbs

On Saturday, August 1, the Massillon Museum will host its monthly “Do the Mu” program, a free family drop-in activity time. The theme “Mega Murals with Bili Kribbs” will accent the upcoming exhibition, “Stark Naked Salon.” Kribbs will be one of eleven emerging artists who will be featured in the eye-popping show, which will open in the Museum’s main gallery on August 22.

The artist will help visitors create several murals on a large scale to decorate the Museum in preparation for the upcoming exhibit. He will encourage experimentation with big shapes, bold colors, and creativity.

“See your work celebrated and displayed for the whole city to see for months to come!" says the Massillon Museum’s Educator, Jill Malusky Bacon, who instituted the “Do the Mu” program.

“Do the Mu!” is free and open to all. Participants may drop in any time between noon and 2:00 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month for a tour, an arts activity, and a snack. No pre-registration is required. “Do the Mu!” receives funding from ArtsinStark.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in downtown Massillon. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free. For more information, call the Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.


Media Contacts:
Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061
Jill Malusky Bacon, Educator - 330-833-4061
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525

15th Annual Island Party- FREE!

The Massillon Museum’s Island Party on Friday, July 17, will be free family fun. The evening will be free and open to everyone; no reservations are necessary. Guests will be admitted at 5:30; food and beverage service begins about 6:00; and Carlos Jones and the P.L.U.S. Band will entertain from 7:00 until 11:00 p.m.

The Museum's annual event on the Museum lawn includes a pig roast by volunteers Joe Herrick and Rudy Turkal. Sidewalk supervisors are encouraged throughout the day.

A Caribbean supper of pork sandwiches, jerk chicken, pineapple salsa (the Massillon Museum’s secret recipe), fruit skewers, and grilled bananas with ice cream will be offered for sale. The cash bar will offer beer, wine, water, and soft drinks.

Carlos Jones and the Peace, Love, and Unity Syndicate deliver soulful roots reggae with lyrics that concentrate on a message of peace and harmony within the human race and the environment. The group creates a festival-like atmosphere everywhere they play, drawing crowds spanning all ages and backgrounds. The music is uplifting, incuding many original songs and an array of Bob Marley, Culture, and other recognizable covers. Voted "the Best Reggae/Ska Band" in Northeast Ohio by the Scene Magazine readers' poll, Carlos Jones and the P.L.U.S. Band have appeared onstage with The Wailers and Ziggy Marley.

Admission will be free and open to everyone. The food and beverages will be offered a la carte. T-shirts and light sticks will also be available. Try hula hoops and limbo challenges for all ages. Plan to come for the fun, rain or shine.

Guests will enter from First Street Southeast. Picnic tables will be scattered about the lawn, but guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Free parking will be available in the municipal parking lots, the parking deck on South Erie Street, and on adjacent streets.

For more information and volunteer opportunities, call the Massillon Museum at 330-833-4061.

Media Contacts:

Christine Shearer, Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061

Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525