The Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair takes place on Saturday, September 24 in and around the Smoky Hill Museum at 211 W. Iron Avenue in downtown Salina. The Street Fair has no entry cost and is a day to celebrate the Old West with a chili cook-off, music, activities, food vendors and, of course, the museum itself.

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 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.

The public tasting and voting for the chili cook-off will be from 12 noon – 1:30 pm and it only costs $2 to sample chili from six booths. The People’s Choice award and best decorated booth winners will be announced at 2:00 pm on the main stage.

Speaking of the main stage, this year’s entertainment has some returning favorites and some new, soon-to-be favorites. The schedule for the day:

11:00 am          Steel Skarecrow

12:00 noon     Everyday Lights

1:00 pm           Don Wagner and Friends

2:15 pm           David Zerf

3:00 pm          Steel Skarecrow

The museum gallery is open 10 am – 5 pm for everyone to enjoy the special exhibit, Let’s Play. 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.

Thanks to sponsorships from many dedicated Salina residents and businesses, there is no cost to attend this day of celebration. The museum especially wishes to thank the following generous businesses and organizations for their sponsorship: City of Salina, Friends of the Museum, Lila Berkley, Salina Downtown Inc., Roy & Donice Applequist, Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., Salina Ortho, Salina Regional Health Foundation, CatUsed, Credit Union of America, Kansas Wesleyan University, H&R Block, OCCK, Salina Family Healthcare Center, KAKE, KSAL, KSN, and KWCH.

Watch the museum website, www.smokyhillmuseum.org, for the most up-to-date information and come celebrate autumn on September 24 at the Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair.