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By Amy Eddings
A bygone era of football is recalled in the new commemorative poster for the second annual Made in Ada Wilson Football Festival on Saturday, Feb. 3. 

It features a leather-helmeted football player on the move, striking a defensive, Heisman Trophy-like pose.

The poster, created by Ada artist and Ohio Northern University associate professor Melissa Eddings Mancuso, uses dusky-hued blues and greens to evoke sepia-colored photos from the 1920s, when football was becoming a national obsession.

Eddings Mancuso silkscreened each of the 100 prints by hand. They’re signed and numbered. The commemorative poster helps the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce raise money for the festival.  

The posters are $30. They are available at the Gallery for the Arts, 115 S. Main St., Ada.  It’s open Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will also be available for purchase at the Depot in Ada, 9 Central Ave., during the festival.  The Depot will be open starting at 3:30 p.m. and remain open until midnight.  

The posters are also available for purchase online by sending a message to festival organizers through the Made in Ada Wilson Football Festival’s Facebook page. There is a $7 shipping and handling fee.  

The festival's facebook link is: www.facebook.com/MadeinAdaFootballFestival

The posters were popular with event participants, collectors and Ohio Northern University alumni. There are only two remaining commemorative posters from last year’s inaugural Made in Ada Wilson Football Festival. (Eddings Mancuso printed 80 last year.) They are available at the Gallery for a discounted price of $20 as they show some signs of wear.  

Festival organizers hope they become a fun and collectable annual tradition.

PHOTO DESCRIPITONS:

Melissa Eddings Mancuso uses a tool to press ink through a screen as part of the silk screening process for this year’s Made in Ada Wilson Football Festival commemorative poster.

The blue background was the first section Eddings Mancuso printed for the poster. (Amy Eddings photos)