Groton Olde Home Days: Connection, fun and food

Groton Olde Home Days (GOHD) — Groton’s greatly anticipated three-day festival — will begin with the opening of the Playland Amusements Carnival Midway at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22 in the Speedway lot on Main St. The carnival will also be open at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23 and again on Saturday at 1 p.m. with wrist band specials.

Aside from the carnival, Friday and Saturday will be jam-packed with fun, food and entertainment for everyone! Note that there is not enough space in this column to list all of the amazing offerings, but the following are some of the highlights.

Friday night at GOHD

Always a staple at GOHD is the annual Groton Art Show, held at the Groton American Legion. The opening gala is from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, during which food by Dugan’s Country Grill will be available for purchase until the post closes, and the Legion Auxiliary will have a cake wheel from 6 to 8 p.m.

Groton Assembly of God, 701 S. Main St., offers its renowned spaghetti dinner with live Italian music as you dine from 4 to 8 p.m. Spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, beverage and dessert is $12 per person or $6 for children 10 and under. Takeout is also available.

Also at the Legion, but sponsored by Tompkins-Cortland Real Estate, Crystal Vision band will perform at 8 p.m. in the back lot, and the Legion will offer draft beer and wine slushies from 4:30 p.m. on.

Fun from morning until night on Saturday!

The usual plethora of food and beverages will be available Saturday, with more vendors than ever before, including Dicky Doos Hot Dogs, Speedsville Barbecue, Locos Tacos, Foggy Bog Hunting Camp’s famous food and many others. Groton Assembly of God will have homemade strawberry shortcake on Conger Boulevard for $5 a bowl, and Groton Future Farmers of America (FFA) will be selling a barbecue lunch — both beginning at 11 a.m.

Main Street Pizzeria offers $2 pizza slices all day, with a pizza-eating contest taking place at 3 p.m. Casper’s Kitchen will have a chicken barbecue beginning at 3 p.m.

The art show will continue at the Legion from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Groton Historical Association will sponsor its famous “Crafts & Collectibles” show and sale in the Town Barn on Conger Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The annual Groton Cruisers Car Club car show will take place, with car registration beginning at 8 a.m. with a $10 fee per car. Spectators are invited free of charge. The Motorcycle and Bicycle Show and Swap Meet will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at Matt’s Auto on West South Street. The Groton FFA will hold a tractor show from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lot across from Baker-Miller Lumber.

Baker-Miller Lumber will offer tie-dyeing from 8 a.m. until noon. Sir James the Balloon Artist will perform a magic show at 1 p.m. in the Conger Boulevard Gazebo, and then he will stroll around town from 1:30 to 5 p.m., ready to make his amazing and free balloon creations for everyone.

The Groton Public Library will have free hot dogs, tech demos, movies, games and more from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also not to be missed around town for the children are Paw Patrol from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Cornell Raptor Program birds of prey from noon to 4 p.m. and the free petting zoo and pony rides beginning at 9 a.m.

Free wagon rides for the whole family will be offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Groton Assembly of God will give away new school backpacks with starter supplies on Conger Boulevard from 9 a.m. until gone.

New this year, there will be hourly tours of the Groton Hotel and its restorative progress from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a business scavenger hunt at the north end of Main Street from noon to 4 p.m., and a Groton Community Business Association dunk tank from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Baker-Miller lot.

The Grand Parade and more

The Groton Fire Department grand parade will step off from East Cortland Street and turn at Main Street beginning at 6 p.m. Featuring marchers, floats, veterans’ organizations, antique and classic autos and tractors, horses and wagons and more, the parade averages around 150 units — the largest in our region! It also features the 40-member-strong Pittsford Fire Department Marching Band, an old-time traditional firefighters’ band from Monroe County. The band will also perform after the parade at the Legion at 7 p.m.

At 8 p.m., Chris Taylor and the Custom Taylor Band, sponsored by the First National Bank of Groton, will perform at the Legion. The cake wheel will run from 6 to 8 p.m., and draft beer and wine slushies will again be available from 2 p.m.

Whether you live nearby or far away, don’t miss the wonderful tradition of GOHD — it gets bigger and better every year!

In brief:

Ishkibble the tortoise returns

Many will remember the story of Ishkibble (Ish), Joy Foster’s pet African spurred tortoise, who was lost and then found last August. His story may be found in the Aug. 21, 2024 edition of this column. Ish had a float in the Groton Olde Home Days parade last year, but he never made it over the finish line because his truck broke down!

Ish will return to the parade this year, determined to complete the circuit, and having “his people” tossing toy turtles and candy to his fans.

Adopt a stuffy — for free!

During Groton Olde Home Days, Brittany Station, 152 Main St., is offering free stuffed animals to anyone who would like to adopt one. Stop by Saturday, Aug. 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. while supplies last.

Reboot Recovery

Reboot Recovery is a course, not a support group, providing practical help for anyone struggling to cope with crisis or trauma. Earlier this year, Sam Neno, senior pastor at Groton Assembly of God, led this 12-week course with great success, and it will be offered again beginning Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Joyce Crouch Benevolence Building, 101 McKinley Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m. weekly.

You won’t find shortcuts or easy answers; instead, you’ll find solutions that last. The course is peer-led and outcome-based, where participants can discover that there is hope after trauma. Register at https://rebootrecovery.com/trauma. Call or text Neno with questions at 607-898-5163.