Ohio is chock full of festivals and fairs, particularly during the summer and fall months, celebrating everything from Antiques to Popcorn to the Renaissance.
Anyone who's been to Ohio will tell you that you can't throw a rock without hitting a weekend festival during the summer and fall months. Whether you prefer music and dance, ice cream or popcorn, antiques or the Renaissance, if you can name it, Ohio probably has a festival somewhere celebrating it.
April:
The Geauga County Maple Festival is held every year in Chardon during the first weekend of April, and offers visitors an opportunity to see how maple syrup is made, and do plenty of tasting! There's a Sap Run, bathtub race, and even an invitational lumberjack competition, which brings out some of the biggest and brawniest men in the Midwest.
May:
Check out the Central Ohio Folk Festival, held in Galloway, just west of Columbus on the banks of the Darby Creek. Sponsored by the Columbus Folk Music Society, this weekend event offers guests plenty of live folk music, vendors selling instruments and recordings, workshops and classes, children's activities, and the inevitable 1960's coffee house.
The streets of the small town of McArthur become the home of the annual Wild Turkey Festival. Located in beautiful Vinton County, in southern Ohio, McArthur turns the town square into a fairground complete with parade, country music, a car show, and yes, even a Wild Turkey Festival Queen.
Who doesn't like ice cream? The last weekend in May, the little burg of Utica becomes an ice cream lover's paradise. Utica, in Licking County northeast of Columbus, is the home of the Velvet Ice Cream company, and ice cream connoisseurs from the world over show up to watch the border collie demonstrations, check out the antique steam engines, and of course pig out on the endless varieties of Velvet Ice Cream. Tours are available of the old mill where Velvet makes their goodies, and this festival is a great time for young and old alike.
June:
After you've had your fill of ice cream, stick around for a few more weeks and hit the London Strawberry Festival. Held every year the weekend after Father's Day, the festival is a showcase for recipes you've got to see to believe. Strawberries are used in some unique and amazing ways - from the standard strawberry shortcakes and smoothies to strawberry barbeque! The festival includes a parade, kiddie tractor pull, music and games for the whole family.
The last weekend in June, visit Columbus' Westside for the annual Hilltop Bean Dinner. The Bean Dinner evolved when residents decided to honor the former occupants of Camp Chase, a Civil War prison camp. The story goes that during the war, all the prisoners got to eat was beans, and had to come up with different ways to cook them. Now a lovely, tree-lined neighborhood, the Westgate area has a 50-acre park which has become home to the Bean Dinner. In addition to bean soup and corn bread, hot dogs and pizza are available. The Hilltop Bean Dinner also features a classic car show, which draws vehicles from all over the state. There's also plenty of live music, contests, face painting for the little ones, and a lot of free goodies.
If you're up in Lorain County, be sure to visit the annual International Festival. For only a dollar admission, you can sample food and entertainment from over four dozen countries. Music, crafts, and cultural exhibits abound, and the International Breakfast will leave you impressed.
July:
Join the residents of Quaker City for the Ohio Hills Folk Festival. This tiny southeastern Ohio town comes to life and celebrates its mountain heritage. Held annually for the past century, the Ohio Hills Folk Festival brings the past and present together with a museum, restored Quaker meeting house, parade, car show and craft fair.
Drive out to Plain City, between Columbus and Marysville, for the Miami Valley Steam Threshers Fair. This demonstration of antique farm equipment features entertainment for the whole family, and kids in particular will love the tractor pull. There are kids' games and a flea market available, as well as on-site camping.
August:
August and September are traditionally when Ohio goes festival-crazy. It's nearly impossible to get to them all. One of the most popular is the Dublin Irish Festival, held the first weekend in August. Live music on several stages, plenty of food, and handmade crafts make this event a true celebration of Irish heritage. There's even a genealogy pavilion where guests can look to see if there's a little bit of Irish in their own background.
Be sure to check out the North Ridgeville Corn Festival, held in Lorain County. Try your corn Amish-style or slow-roasted, it's all delicious. Games and crafts are available for guests, as well as a car show, horseshoe tournament, and parade.
The Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival, held in the town known as the Bratwurst Capital of America, offers literally tons of open-fire roasted bratwursts for sampling. Because each brat maker uses a slightly different recipe, all bratwursts are not created equal. Join in the fun, with lots of entertainment, family games and a beer pavilion, and help relive Bucyrus' German heritage with brats and beer.
Although tobacco isn't really politically correct anymore, it did once have an impact on the economic structure of Ohio, so the small Ohio River town of Ripley hosts the Ohio Tobacco Festival every year during the last weekend in August. Ripley is an historic town, and celebrates accordingly, with traditional events such as the arm wrestling competition, parade, and even a Sunday prayer breakfast.
September:
If you've had your fill of corn and produce and yearn for something a bit different, check out the Ohio Renaissance Festival, in Harveysburg. Held every weekend from the last weekend in August through the end of October, the Renaissance Festival welcomes guests to the Elizabethan village of Willy-Nilly-on-the-Wash, complete with jousting, mudmen, wandering minstrels, brave knights and saucy wenches. The shopper's marketplace is unparalleled, with dozens of vendors offering handmade items from bodices and armor to swords, pottery and blown glass. Be sure to check out the giant turkey leg, which is a RenFest tradition. You don't have to attend in costume, but if you do decide to dress up, you'll enjoy the experience even more.
The second weekend in September can only mean one thing - it's time for the Marion Popcorn Festival. Yes, an entire festival devoted to popcorn, and it's truly magnificent. Held on the streets of downtown Marion, this festival includes popcorn sculptures and the impressive Wyandot Popcorn Museum. There's plenty of live entertainment, parades, and an enormous midway full of games for the whole family.
Finally, be sure to wrap up the month by checking out the Germantown Pretzel Festival. Held at historic Veterans Memorial Park in Germantown, the Pretzel Festival has entertainment and handicrafts by local artisans. The park includes an historic train depot, log cabin, and play area for the wee ones.
October:
What better way to welcome fall than by having a pumpkin show? The folks in Circleville decided to do just that, and for nearly a century, the Circleville Pumpkin Show has been one of the top attractions in the state. Pumpkins come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and you'll see them all at this festival. Sample foods from pumpkin pancakes to pumpkin jelly, and be sure to catch the pumpkin contest - the top three finishers in 2004 weighed more than a thousand pounds each!!
Holmes County is at the heart of Amish Country, so it seems fitting that the annual Antique Festival is held in historic downtown Millersburg. Arts and crafts demonstrations are held, as well as a parade and games for the youngsters. Visitors can stop in any of the historic shops and check out the selection of reasonably-priced antique treasures.
Once the cool weather rolls around, Ohioans tend to shut down for the season, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do. It simply means they're planning for next year's festivals! For more information on Ohio's amazing festivals and fairs, check out the Ohio Festivals and Events Association website www.ofea.org.
