In celebration of Ace Hardware’s 100th year in operation, the St. Helens Ace Hardware location will be hosting a community event with free food, vendors, and activities for folks on June 29.
Ace Hardware was founded in 1924 in Chicago, and over the course of its operation, the business has expanded internationally. The St. Helens location was founded in 1973, according to St. Helens Ace Store Manager Melissa Peterson. From there, it moved to the old Columbia Lanes Bowling Alley building on S. 17th Street in 1982, and in 2008, it moved to its current location on Columbia Boulevard and Highway 30.
Though it is a large corporation, Peterson wants to host a family-friendly event that gives people a reason to come out and celebrate.
“Our goal here is we’re going to host a free barbecue. We should have enough food for three to four hundred people, somewhere in there,” Peterson said. “It will go from 11 a.m. until probably 3 or 4 p.m., or unless we run out of food.”
Peterson said there would be plenty of food for people to try, including hotdogs, turkey, and ham. There will also be salad and other sides to make sure no one goes away without a decent portion while supplies last, including salad and a dessert of some kind. Crooked Creek Brewery and Tap into Wine will do “samplers” to wash down the free meal.