Fun things to do

From classic automobiles to pickin' and grinnin', Franklin County offers plenty in the way of entertainment during the summer and fall months.

Cowboy Days

For two days in June, the Old West invades Ottawa with Cowboy Days. The festival features western music and entertainment, a parade, petting zoo, demonstrations, re-enactments, story-telling and cowboy and western art. A cattle drive down Main Street highlights the two-day event.

Jayhawker Days

Mid-June heralds Williamsburg's Jayhawker Days, which brings together local fun, food and history. Attendees can expect to see staged Old West-style gunfights and an 1840s-style encampment of Mountain Men reenactors the festival kicks off with an early morning pancake feed, ending with a street dance featuring live music. During the day, music, carnival rides and food are abound.

Pomona Days

July brings the Pomona Days Festival, which features food, games, crafters and a showcase of local performers.

Richmond Free Fair in July

One of the first fairs in the area during fair season, the Richmond Free Fair brings hundreds of people to Richmond to enjoy exhibits, a parade, street dance, volleyball tournament and horseshow tournament.

Franklin County Fair in July

Fair fun continues in July with the Franklin County Fair, featuring livestock and exhibits by 4-H'ers and open class participants, a BBQ dinner, youth rodeo, URA rodeo, livestock sale and the annual demolition derby. Each day of the fair, fair-goers can enjoy carnival rides in the Midway and a variety of fair food from vendors.

Pottawatomie Massacre Days

Later in July, the City of Lane presents Pottawatomie Massacre Days, a historically focused event commemorating abolitionist John Brown and his execution of area slavery advocates in 1856.

The festival features horse-drawn carriage tours of significant structures in the areas as well as famous historical sites. In addition to food and craft booths, attendees can also expect to see historically themed entertainment such as reenactors performing a slavery debate.

Lane Fair

A combination of food, 4-H and fun comes to Lane with the Lane Agricultural Fair in late summer. The old-fashioned fair features children's games, a greased pig contest, a parade, a horseshoe tournament and a pie baking contest.

River Run Car Show

September is also the time of year when classic car junkies from far and wide gather in Ottawa for the Ol' Marais River Run car show. The weekend-long festival draws classic car owners from several states who come to display their prized machines on Cruise Night, in which Ottawa's Main Street is closed to allow a parade of sorts to proceed through town as residents gather to watch the classic autos in motion. the cars then come to a rest in Forest Park, where they can be observed close-up amid a torrent of games, music and food.

Power of the Past

In the fall, September means it's time for the Power of the Past Antique Engine and Tractor show in Ottawa The show displays early incarnations of farm implements in addition to oddities such as steam-powered tractors. The weekend event features a parade both days involving the antique farm machines. Food, crafts, and tractor pulls for kids and adults round it out.

Wellsville Days

In September, Wellsville is host of a small town festival that features such activities as crafts, food, music, an art show, a quilt show and a parade.