SHELBY — A spell has been cast over downtown Shelby.
This weekend, more than 20 local businesses will participate in the annual Weekend of Wizardry — WOW for short — which is led by the Shelby Downtown Business Team.
The two-day event begins Saturday at 10 a.m. and runs until 8 p.m. that evening. Activities resume Sunday at noon and conclude at 6 p.m.
Many magical offerings will be featured, including a scavenger hunt, themed food and drinks and several photo opportunities.
Careen Fleck, owner of The Little Shops of Shelby and president of the Shelby Downtown Business Team, said 26 local businesses will participate this weekend — compared to 19 last September.
There will also be about 30 vendors in attendance.
Fleck said WOW helps drive foot traffic to downtown, bringing customers into businesses they may have never explored.
“Since I’ve been the owner (of The Little Shops of Shelby), last year’s Weekend of Wizardry was the biggest sales day we’ve ever had,” she said. “It brought so many people here.”
Eight food trucks will be downtown during WOW. Several will feature special wizardry-themed food and drink items, Fleck said.
See who’s participating
A map displaying all participating businesses can be found below or by clicking here. To see what each business is offering related to WOW, click on the witch hat icon.
Fleck said an opportunity to meet two live owls from the Ohio Bird Sanctuary will take place at The Little Shops of Shelby on Saturday from 10 to 10:30 a.m. for the first 50 paying guests.
Additionally, representatives from Gorman Nature Center are bringing two snakes at noon.
Fleck said folks will have a chance to hold the snakes and learn about them during the three hours Gorman Nature staffers will be there.
“That’s the whole goal, to bring people to Shelby, let them see Shelby and just have fun for families,” she said. “We’re just trying to make a fun community.”