By Liz Jones

A street fair in uptown Athens will bring students, parents and area residents together in late September.

The Athens community, uptown businesses and city officials are hosting the fair as part of the University's yearlong bicentennial celebration. The Sept. 27 event coincides with Parents Weekend as well as the University's 26th Annual Honors Convocation, at which scholarship recipients, donors and distinguished professors are recognized.

The fair will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Court Street, which will be closed from Union to Washington streets.

Three bands -- Bruce Ergood's Dixieland Band, Home Remedy and Barely Makin' It -- will perform on a stage at Court and Washington streets. Also planned are merchant displays and arts and crafts.

The Athens County Historical Society and the University's Robert E. and Jean R. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections plan historical displays at the Peoples Bank and Bank One. The Athens News also plans a display.

A collection of essays titled "Recollections," compiled as part of the bicentennial observance, will be on sale. Individual essays written by alumni, current and former faculty, and longtime residents will be showcased in the publication.

"This will be a collection of memories provided by individuals who have been associated with Ohio University over the past half century and their recollections will be recorded as a 'moment in time' in the history of this University," said Vice President for Development Emeritus Jack Ellis. "If not recorded, those recollections could be lost forever."

To add some University flair to the fair, Ohio University's Marching 110 will play on the northwest corner of the College Green at about 1:30 p.m. A large birthday cake will be cut and served near the intersection of Court and Union streets at 2 p.m.

Those attending the fair can head to Peden Stadium after the festivities to watch the Bobcats take on Western Michigan's Broncos at 4 p.m.