|
 OHIO RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
-
When:
September 3 - October 16, 2011 Saturdays & Sundays PLUS Labor Day - Open 10:30AM - 6:00PM, Rain
or Shine
-
Location: (Map
It) Renaissance Park in Harveysburg, OH
(conveniently located between Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus in Warren County
on State Route 73 between I-71 and I-75)
-
Phone: 513-897-7000
Ohio’s premier
family event features 11 stages of continuous entertainment, 7 food and beverage
buildings, and more than 130 arts and crafts shops. Knights, comedy, daring
stunt shows, giant roasted turkey legs, bread bowl stews, handmade arts and
crafts abound in the authentically recreated 30-acre 16th Century
English village.
Printout + many more details:
Ohio Renaissance Festival
Return to Main
Menu
FALL
FOLIAGE TRAINS
at Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
 (Train
Fare Applies)
-
Open
Fall Foliage Trains are offered
every Thursday and Friday in addition to the regular Saturday and Sunday
Schedule from October 1 - 29, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. and last about 2 ¼ hours,
including a 30-minute
stop at a reconstructed
1840’s era village.
-
Location:
(Map
It)
The Depot in Nelsonville contains the ticket office, and it is
located at the intersection of U.S. Route 33 and Hocking Parkway (Fulton
Street), behind the Rocky Boots Outlet
-
Phone:
1-800-967-7834
The 22-mile round trip to Logan,
Ohio and back are leisurely rides along the Hocking River and Appalachian
foothills providing great family-friendly entertainment. Choose to ride in
either the 1920’s commuter coaches or open air cars. There’s even first-class
service in a restored B&O coach complete with air-conditioning. The most used
engine is a diesel locomotive built in 1952.
The interesting history of the area and the railway are highlighted by the
conductor’s narrative as the train passes by a canal lock, historic old company
towns and other landmarks while following the Hocking River through rolling
hills filled with natural fall splendor.
During the trips, passengers have
an opportunity to step off the train and back into time at Robbins Crossing.
Instantly, cooking from the nearby wood stove floats an inviting aroma passed
your nose. Clanking and clamoring rings out from the fully-operational
blacksmith shop. Ladies in period-dress are busy candle making and spinning
yarn. Folks gather on porches for some good ole Appalachian-style music dancing
off instruments of Yesteryear.
The leisurely visit may be commemorated with a unique purchase at the railway's
Gift Shop and Train Store.
Printout:
Fall Foliage
Trains
Return to Main
Menu
FALL FUN DAYS HARVEST FESTIVAL
at Circle S Farms
-
When:
Starts in late September and
always ends on October 31
Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to dusk (till
11:00 p.m. for bonfire parties)
-
Location: (Map
It) is 9015 London Groveport
Rd., Grove City, OH 43123
-
Phone: 614-878-7980 or call the
recorded INFOLINE at 614-878-9462
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, many families, schools, churches, companies
and many other groups and individuals annually visit the Fall Fun Days Festival
at Circle S Farms, located in scenic southwest Franklin County. Our festival
features hayrides to pick a pumpkin, a six acre corn maze, sunflower maze, Fun
Hay Barn with slides, Scarecrow Cave, Fodder Lane, petting zoo, weekend
entertainment and much more. Private hayrides with bonfire parties are
available. There is a full service bakery with many tasty treats including
freshly made donuts of all kinds. On the weekends the Pumpkin Cafe is open.
Group reservations are requested and walk-ins are welcome.
www.circlesfarm.com
Printout:
Fall Fun Days Harvest Festival
Return to Main
Menu
 FALL
HAYRIDES
(Admission: Adults $7.50, Children (ages 3 - 11) $5.50, Children (2 and under)
Free - must sit on an adult lap for the hayrides. Cost includes hayride and
entertainment)
-
When: Saturday
nights from 6 – 10 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from Noon – 4 p.m.
-
Location:
(Map
It) Chalet Recreation
Area • Mill Stream Run Reservation. Chalet Recreation Area is located on
Valley Parkway in Mill Stream Run Reservation, between Routes 42 & 82 in
Strongsville – just off I-71 & the Ohio Turnpike.
-
Phone: 440-572-9990
-
Web Site:
www.clevelandmetroparks.com
The
tractor-drawn hayrides leave every half hour and are on a first-come,
first-served basis. Plus, enjoy square dancing for all ages, a hay maze, and a
face-painting & balloon-twisting clown. On Sundays, bonus activities include
pumpkin carving demonstrations, additional entertainment, and Horse-Drawn
Hayrides on Select Sunday’s. And, Private Hayrides available, too!
Printout: Fall
Hayrides
Return to Main
Menu
HARVEST MOON CORN MAZE AND PUMPKIN PATCH
(Admission: Call for information)
-
Open:
Mid September through the end of October
-
Location:
(Map
It) Niederman Family
Farm at 4972 LeSourdsville-WestChester Drive in Liberty Township, Ohio
45011 (between Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio)
-
Phone: 513-779-6184
This
Southwest Ohio working farm provides the ultimate fall experience! Niederman
Family Farm invites you to experience a 22 acre corn maze, pick pumpkins at the
pumpkin patch, take a hayride, visit and feed the barnyard animals and have a
picnic. Spend the day, bring your family, school group, church group, scout
troop, Mom’s club, or just yourself.
Printout:
Harvest Moon
Return to Main Menu
-
When: October (Fridays and Saturdays from late
September through the end of October)
-
Location: (Map
It) 6070 Springboro Road in Lebanon,
Ohio
-
Phone: 937-748-2272
Experience the Award-Winning Haunted Hayride
at Bull Run Farms! Voted 2003 Best Scare and 2003 Grand Champions by Fox 22
Miami Valley Tour of Terror, you won't want to miss our 16th year of Halloween
tradition. Located on over 50 acres of natural woodlands along Bull Run Creek,
the 30-minute tractor-drawn haunted hayride brings a new look and feel this
year. Hunker down with your friends and family as you tour the spooky trails,
the unexpected lurking at every turn. Just when you thought it was safe to go
back into the woods...After the hayride be sure and take in the evening's
entertainment featuring story-telling by the bon fires, the professional stunt
bike show showcasing performers from around the world, enjoy the harvest at our
on-site concession stand, pick your own pumpkin and if you are really brave,
dare to enter the Black Bog.
Printout:
Haunted Hayride and Black Bog
Return to Main Menu
LEADERS FAMILY FARMS AND SCREAM ACRES
-
When: October on Fridays 6pm until 10pm, Saturdays 1pm until 10pm, Sundays 1pm until 9pm. ScreamAcres opens at dark each night.
-
Location: (Map
It) Leaders Family Farms located a mile west of
Napoleon, Ohio just off of state route 24 on county road 16
-
Phone: 419-599-1570
Fun for all ages. You can “get lost” in the twists and
turns of a seven acre jack-o-lantern corn maize. Win prizes at Northwest Ohio’s
only corn cannon range. Sing and dance on the karaoke stage. Take a scenic and
peaceful hayride around the farm. Take your pick of thousands of pumpkins in the
pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Kids can get “moo-ving” in a cow train, play on the
slides or make their way through straw tunnels. For those with young children
there’s a special place – Little Farmers Barnyard. It includes a corn box, mini
straw jump and inflatables to enjoy. There’s also a wide array of concessions.
For those who are brave of heart and dared to be scared,
explore Scream Acres Haunted Cornfield, Northwest Ohio’s most terrifying field
of corn! This separate field of corn has many turns and twists with the added
fear of the unknown. With creatures lurking behind the walls of corn you never
know who… or what may be “stalking” you! At ScreamAcres Haunted Cornfield “you
pay to get in…. but pray to get out!!”
Printout:
Leaders Family Farms
Return to Main Menu
PUMPKINFEST AT PIGEON
ROOST FARM
(No Admission charge for market area. $5 per person charge for “Fun Center”/
Corn Maze)
Come
Celebrate Fall in the Country. Enjoy a nostalgic family trip back to a working
farm. It's the 30th year and still growing! See the old barns,
friendly barnyard animals, and interesting display of antiques and observation
beehive. Choose from thousands of pumpkins in all sizes and shapes, colorful
and unique heritage squash, several sizes of Indian corn, corn shocks, straw
bales, hard shell and decorative gourds. Young and young-at-heart will have a
great time exploring the “Great Pumpkin Fun Center” with new Fort Pigeon Roost,
giant gerbil wheels, a “goat walk”, Corn Maze, and the Enchanted Forest. The
kids favorites—hillside slide, spooky straw tunnel and Conestoga corn box are
still included. Five shops have handmade crafts and a large selection of fall
decorations, and the children have their own “Kids Korner”. On weekends there
are wagon rides, face painting, food concessions, crafters and
demonstrations. So come visit and bring your camera to capture some of those
special memories!
Printout:
Pumpkinfest at Pigeon Roost Farm
Return to Main
Menu
ZOAR VILLAGE'S LANTERN TOURS OF THE GHOSTS
(Admission:
$10 for ages
10 and up and $8 for ages 9 and under)
-
When:
Friday October 28 and
Saturday October 29, 6pm and 7:15pm
-
Location: (Map
It) Zoar, OH 44697 - Located 2.5 miles east of I-77 (exit 93) on St. Rte.
212
-
Phone: 330-874-2646
Visitors
are invited to take a haunted stroll through the village with history and
ghost stories told by costumed guides. Overnight accommodations are
available at the bed and breakfasts in the village. For information call
330-874-2646.
Come be a
part of history this year at the historic village of Zoar, Ohio. German
Separatists founded the Village of Zoar in the Tuscarawas River Valley of
Ohio. In 1817 they left Germany and came to the United States seeking
religious freedom. Later they formed a communal society that lasted for 79
years, and was one of the most successful communal societies in the United
States. Today, many of the buildings the Separatists built still line the
main street of the historic village.
Ten of these buildings are operated as museums by the Zoar Community
Association. For information about daytime tours, please call 330-874-2646
or visit the Zoar Store at 198 Main St., Zoar, OH 44697.
Printout:
Lantern Tours of the Ghosts
Return to Main Menu
MIDDFEST INTERNATIONAL
(Admission: Adults $5 for all three
days, kids
under 12 are free)
-
When: September 30 - October 2, 2011
-
Location:
(Map
It) Donham Plaza, Downtown,
Middletown, Ohio
-
Phone: 513-425-7707
Middfest International began in
1981. This three day educational and cultural event attracts more than 100,000
people annually. Its mission: to promote world understanding, friendship and
peace, by showcasing a different country every year. This year experience the
Indigenous Peoples as Middfest International celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
Beginning at the early preview
Garden Party and Gala, cut flowers and container arrangements
of native plants will be on display. On into the weekend visitors can
participate in Indigenous cooking demonstrations; drum and dance circle; films,
conversation, genealogy and literature talks. Visitors may also choose to
participate and explore interactive centers, exhibits in science, Youth Park,
history and culture.
Middfest International was named
a Top One Hundred Event by the American Bus Association in 1985 and received the
prestigious Post Corbett Award for the Most Extraordinary Event in 1995. And,
in 2004 Middfest International was inducted into The Greater Cincinnati
International Hall of Fame.
Printout:
Middfest International
Return to Main Menu
(Admission
is Free)
-
When:
September 30 - October 1, 2011 (always
the 4th weekend after Labor Day)
-
Location: (Map
It) Sugarcreek,
Ohio
-
Phone: 330-852-4113
Experience the best of
Switzerland here in the “Little Switzerland of Ohio.” Visitors will be drawn to
the Swiss music and authentic Swiss costumes. There’s tons of Swiss cheese to go
around, polka bands, alpine horn players and a parade. And on a more interesting
note, come see the Steinstossen contest and see stone throwers compete or the
Schwingfest – Swiss wrestling.
Printout:
Ohio Swiss Festival
Return to Main Menu
FORT ROWDY GATHERING
-
When: October 1 & 2, 2011 (First full weekend
in October (Sat., 10 a.m.- 8 p.m., Sun., 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.)
-
Location: (Map
It) Community Park, Covington, West
U.S. Route 36, Covington, Ohio
-
Phone: 937-473-5439
From the hovering lights of campfires,
frontier enthusiasts gather in groups playing guitars, drums and washboards much
like small trading villages once participated in the 1800s. The weekend begins
with an old-fashioned hometown parade on Saturday but the highlight of this
festival is the mountain man encampment located next to the Stillwater River.
The event and parking are free to the public.
Printout:
Fort Rowdy Gathering
Return to Main Menu
LEBANON ANTIQUES
SHOW
(Admission: $8 - good for both days)
-
When: October 1 & 2, 2011
-
Location:
(Map
It) 825 Hart Rd. (Bowman Primary School) in Lebanon, OH
-
Phone:
513-932-1817
One of Ohio's oldest antique shows. This
year’s seventy antique dealers feature antiques and decorative accessories from
three centuries. One can examine and purchase formal and country
furniture, paintings, pottery, textiles, jewelry and more. The show provides an
excellent opportunity for new collectors to learn about their interests.
Long-time collectors often find that special piece to add to their collection.
Printout:
Lebanon Antiques Show
Return to Main
Menu
PAUL BUNYAN SHOW
(Admission $8.00, Students and Seniors
w/Golden Buckeye Card $4.00. Children under 6 free)
-
When: October
7 - 9, 2011.
Friday-Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
-
Location:
(Map
It) Guernsey County
Fairgrounds at 335 Old National Rd in (Old Washington) Cambridge, OH (Exit 186
off of I-70).
-
Phone 614-497-9580
The Official Paul Bunyan ShowSM
is one of the nation’s largest and oldest forest industry shows. Show attendees
will see more than 130 exhibits representing all facets of the forest industry
throughout North America. Representatives will be on site to showcase equipment,
manpower and the dedication that has made the industry what it is today.
Lumberjack entertainment and competitions will take place throughout the weekend
as well as numerous educational sessions on topics ranging from logging
equipment safety and maintenance to the history and restoration of the bald
eagle in Ohio to Ohio’s edible mushrooms. Visitors to the show will not want to
leave without trying an official Bunyan Burger, a 14 oz angus burger with all
the trimmings. For more information, visit
www.ohioforest.org.
Printout:
Paul Bunyan
Return to Main Menu
-
When: October 7 - 9, 2011
-
Location: (Map
It) Algonquin Mill Farm in Carrollton, Ohio 44615
-
Phone: 330-627-5910 or 330-627-0103
Love old
mills? How about fall foliage? Great! Head to the Algonquin Mill Fall Festival
for a pioneer style festival featuring an operating early 1800's steam powered
flourmill and sawmill, antique power show, old railway depot with model train
layouts, many quality crafters, and delicious home-cooked food.
Printout:
Algonquin Mill Fall Festival
Return to Main
Menu
APPALACHIAN
MOUNTAIN ARTISANS FEST Hosted by Hilltop Designs
 (Admission is by donations to benefit Alzheimer's & Parkinson's)
This fest will be a family oriented educational outdoor
festival for all ages. Over 100 artisan booths of crafts, jewelry, antiques,
soaps, everlastings, plants, furniture, quilts and more. Friday is Childrens Day
& Festival Preview. Saturday at 10:30 Sunflower Barn Square Dedication and
Charity Auction at 12:00. Grassy Run Historical Arts Committee and Adams/Brown
Recycling will teach and educate with hands on demonstrations. Music by Steve
Free, Rabbit Hash Band, The Liberty Band and West Union Steel Band. Antique
Tractor Show, cut your own pumpkin and sunflower seed head, corn mazes, and
"Hay" swimming pool. Classes that will teach the art of flower arranging, how to
make a gathering basket, how to make a soup wreath and more. Jack & Marilyn
Vance's delicious turkey legs and BBQ and homemade fudge by Ceil Bee. All
parking donations and auction proceeds go to benefit Alzheimer's& Parkinson's
Associations. For class schedules, vending, parking volunteers or more call
937-695-5545. More information is available by contacting
www.hilltopdesigns.org.
Printout:
Appalachian Mountain Artisans Festival
Return to Main
Menu
-
When: October 8 & 9, 2011
-
Location:
(Map
It) Ashtabula County Fairgrounds in Jefferson, Ohio
-
Phone: 440-576-3769
Take a fall color
tour of 16 covered bridges throughout Ashtabula County. Upon request, free tour
maps are available. This annual event is family-oriented and includes children’s
activities, contests, crafts, a parade, draft-horse pull, quilt show, farmers
market, entertainment, great food and antique engines, tractors and automobiles.
Printout:
Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival
Return to Main Menu
-
When:
October 8 & 9, 2011
-
Location: (Map
It) Historic Downtown Millersburg, Ohio
-
Phone: 330-674-6781
The festival features a Classic Car Parade,
Firemen's Parade and Grand Parade. In addition, there are 25-30 Antique Dealers,
Arts and Crafts, 5-K Run, Antiques, continuous entertainment and great
food. Take a walking trip through the village and view the Downtown Window
Museum, shop in unique stores and then tour the Victorian House and enjoy the
beautiful Fall season in Holmes County.
Printout:
Holmes County Antique Festival
Return to Main Menu
HALLZOOWEEN
(Call for admission information)
-
When:
October 8 & 9, 15 & 16 and 22 &
23, 2011, Noon – 5 p.m.
-
Location: (Map
It) Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
-
Phone: 513-475-6124 or 1-800-94-HIPPO
Little ghouls, boys
and animals can enjoy three spooktacular weekends of fun. Each Friday, Saturday
and Sunday during HallZOOween, young Frankensteins (12 and
under) can trick-or-treat their way around the Zoo. Along the way, guests may
encounter Pumpkin Pandemonium – the Zoo animal’s version of trick-or-treating,
including Gorilla Pumpkin Hunt, Snow Monkey Pumpkin Hide & Seek, Elephant
Pumpkin Smash, Indian Rhino Apple Bob and Polar Bear Pumpkin Bob. Other
activities include a Little Creatures Carnival, a scavenger hunt, pumpkin patch,
spooktacular train ride, scare-ousel, strolling characters, face painting, and
mini pumpkin decorating activities. This event is FREE with Zoo admission.
Printout:
HallZooween at the Cincinnati Zoo
Return to Main
Menu
-
When: October
8 & 9, 2011 from 9am - 8pm and
9am - 6pm respectively (Second full weekend
in October)
-
Location: (Map
It) Waynesville, Ohio
-
Phone: 513-897-8855
The people of Waynesville may debate whether
they are the Antiques Capital of the Midwest or the Home of the Sauerkraut
Festival but make no mistake they have lots of both. And some say antiques and
sauerkraut saved this little town. Either way, more than 11,000 pounds of
sauerkraut are cooked up for the annual festival. Some of the more unique
recipes for visitors’ indulgence include sauerkraut ice cream, brownies,
doughnuts and pizza. The local folks urge that just because it’s made with
sauerkraut doesn’t mean it tastes like it. Awards are given to those with the
largest cabbage, greenest cabbage and most “congenial” cabbage.
Printout:
Sauerkraut Festival
Return to Main Menu
WOOLY BEAR FESTIVAL
(Admission is Free)
Everyone knows about Ground
Hog Day but a fuzzy little critter in Vermilion will forecast how severe of a
winter Ohio can expect before it even starts – or so they say. The Wooly Bear is
a fuzzy caterpillar. It is said that if the black band on the critters brown
back is wide, get ready for lots of white stuff to fall from the sky. Well, this
festival pays tribute to the Wooly Bear with its annual weather forecast,
parade, wooly bear races and many contests, arts and crafts and additional
entertainment for the whole family.
Printout:
Wooly Bear Festival
Return to Main Menu
BOB EVANS FARM FESTIVAL
(Admission $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 6-18 and children under 5
free)
-
When: October 14 - 16, 2011 (Held the second full weekend of October every
year)
-
Location:
(Map
It) Rio Grande, Ohio at
the Bob Evans Farm
-
Phone: 740.245.5304
-
Web Site: www.bobevansfarm.com
This celebration of the harvest season attracts thousands
with its entertainment, traditional crafts, farm contests, food, children’s
activities, and demonstrations. A weekend of fun for friends and family of all
ages, the Bob Evans Farm Festival offers a taste of yesteryear.
Click
here to read an article about Bob Evens Farm.
Printout:
Bob
Evans Farm Festival
Return to Main Menu
APPLE BUTTER STIRRIN' FESTIVAL
(Admission $3.00 / person for guests 12 and older. Free parking)
-
When:
October 14 - 16, 2011. Friday, October 15, 10am to 6pm. Saturday, October 16,
10am to 6pm. Sunday, October 17, 10am to 5pm
-
Location: (Map
It)
600 North
Whitewoman St. in Coshocton, OH 43812 at
Historic Roscoe Village
-
Phone:
800-877-1830
-
Web Site:
www.roscoevillage.com
Host to over 100 talented artisans and crafters, this
invitational festival celebrates the sights, sounds and scents of autumn. Smell
the fresh apple butter simmering over an open fire, and stroll through the
street to a variety of music including bluegrass, country, gospel and tunes from
days gone-by. Find a quilt raffle, artisans’ items raffle and fun, unique
contests to enter, and don't miss various educational and entertaining outdoor
demonstrations throughout the weekend. Special features include Canal Town
Journey Tours, eerie Spirit Tours, canal boat rides, and a children’s activity
area.
Printout:
Apple Butter Stirrin' Festival
Return to Main
Menu
(Admission is Free)
See the autumn colors in the hills and valleys
of the village of Bainbridge. The community is open to all visitors for their
annual festive event to celebrate the season. It hosts parades, pageants, flea
markets and a midway with entertainment for all. In addition, there is a pedal
tractor pull, arts and crafts plus several self-guided scenic tours of the
beautiful colorful landscape.
Printout:
Fall Festival of Leaves
Return to Main
Menu
ADAMS COUNTY CIVIL WAR DAYS
 Admission:
$5.00 parking (per car load, includes entry). $2.00 walk in. (kids 12 and
under free)
-
When:
October
15 – 16, 2011
-
Location: John T. Wilson Homestead at
92 Old State Route 32
Peebles, OH 45660
-
Phone: (513) 724-3186
-
Website -
www.johntwilsonhomestead.com
Imagine being transported to the Civil War era – it is not that far-fetched.
When you arrive at the Adams County Civil War Days, you will leave your
modern day car behind to board horse drawn wagons that will take you to a
Civil War encampment. The boom of cannons, sharp military drills, and the
sights and sounds of the 1860s will greet you as you arrive.
The historic John T. Wilson Homestead is proud to host the Adams County
Civil War Days. It is only fitting that this event be held at the Wilson
home. John T. Wilson recruited, funded, and formed up Company E of the 70th
Volunteer Ohio Infantry at this very location. Please visit our website for
a printable program of activities.
Printout:
Civil War Days
Return to Main
Menu
(Admission is Free)
-
When: October
19 - 22, 2011 (always 3rd Wednesday
through Saturday of October)
-
Location: (Map
It) Circleville, Ohio
-
Web Site:
www.pumpkinshow.com
Great pumpkins Charlie Brown, this is said to
be Ohio’s oldest and largest pumpkin celebration. It hosts seven different
parades in half as many days. This includes the Pumpkin Parade, Pet Parade and
Baby Parade to name a few. The events also include a Big Wheel Race, world’s
largest pumpkin pie, a pumpkin toss, pie eating competition and Fun Show.
Additional contests of interest include hog calling, egg toss and pumpkin
carving. Many displays, arts, crafts and live entertainment also accompany the
festivities as well as plenty of pumpkins, squash and gourds.
Excerpt from a past edition of OhioTraveler
Circleville
PUMPKIN SHOW
It’s the “Greatest Free Show on Earth.” That’s what the promoters of
Circleville’s festivities contend, and no one argues the point. Furthermore
it’s the sixth largest festival of any kind in the whole country with
attendance over four days soaring to 400,000 fun-loving people.
If Charley Brown is still looking for the “Great Pumpkin” this fall, he need
only to extricate himself from the comic strip and come to the Pickaway county
seat, because that’s what all the clamor is about—pumpkins—really great
pumpkins.
Since this event was started in 1903 by the city mayor with a single display of
corn stalks and pumpkins, it has grown to a street fair that covers eight city
blocks filled with twenty-five or more amusement rides and over three hundred
food booths, games and craft vendors. There are daily parades, the obligatory
beauty contest, and constant entertainment performed on three different stages
from early morning until threatened by the midnight hour.
Regardless of the many activities vying for your attention, the main theme of
pumpkins never wanders far from awareness. The emphasis begins early the first
day with the Giant Pumpkin Weigh In on Main Street. If you’re thinking of
bringing that nicely matured 80 lb. orange globe from your garden to enter in
the competition, forget about it. These pumpkins are trucked in, usually one at
a time, and off-loaded with heavy equipment. Behemoths weighing 400 to 500
pounds are as common as Thanksgiving pies, and Dr. Robert Liggett, who has won
several times, set the record in 2004 with a prodigious contribution from his
special patch tipping the scales at 1353 pounds. Holy jumpin Jehoshaphat!
In 1946, seeing that their fair was growing by leaps and bounds, the citizens of
Circleville formed a non-profit corporation exclusively for the operation of the
pumpkin show. The show is self-supporting, with all profits turned over to the
city for community projects. Their mission statement—pointing proudly to the “no
gate, no ticket” policy—can be summed up with intent to promote goodwill among
Pickaway county residents and all who visit—of which the perennial success seems
self evident.
Every year the fair starts on the third Wednesday of October and runs through
Saturday night. (21st thru 24th) There are both afternoon
and evening parades with more than forty floats, and fifty bands participating.
Stage performing music groups range from country pop to gospel, jazz, rock and
youth bands. There are cooking demos, dance extravaganzas, an egg toss, a
pumpkin toss, and a demonstration by a gentleman who bills himself as Gus the
Squashcarver who has elevated pumpkin sculpture to an art form.
Adding to the colossal feats of nature, consider the effort taken by Lindsey’s
Bakery each year in throwing together and displaying their gigantic 6-foot
diameter, 400-pound pumpkin pie. Supplemental to the 100 pounds of pumpkin are
ingredients of 26 gallons of milk, 15 dozen eggs and 42 pounds of dough baked
for six hours.
Events fill every hour of every day—far too many to mention here—but among them,
annual favorites are the pumpkin pie eating contest, and hog calling. As you
may surmise, the Circleville Pumpkin Show is all about old-fashioned,
unpretentious fun.
There will be more than 20,000 pumpkin pies for sale and in excess of 100,000
pounds of pumpkins on display. By the time you leave you’ll be fed up with
pumpkins—that doesn’t mean melancholy—it’s just that everything you’re fed is
pumpkin flavored—donuts, pancakes, cookies, ice cream, cake, fudge, cream puffs,
even burgers. If you want to burn off some of those calories, bring your running
shoes. There is a five-mile run usually scheduled for Saturday morning—you may
need it.
To schedule your visit to the day or days of favorite activities call
740-474-7000 or check the website
www.pumpkinshow.com for a full calendar of events.
Getting to Circleville is easy. It’s just off of Route 23 about twenty miles
south of Columbus. Before you see the signs you’ll recognize the water tower
painted like a pumpkin—stem and all. Don’t want to drive? There are more than
thirty bus tours that stop at the show. Information on the tours is also
available through the above phone listing.
Oh, and if your thinking of waiting around for a piece of that 400-pound pie,
forget about that too. They feed that to the hogs they call in.
By Robert Carpenter
Printout:
Circleville Pumpkin Festival
Return to Main Menu
DOLL & BEAR SHOW AND SALE
Olentangy Valley
Doll Club of Ohio
(Admission: adults $4.00 and Children $1.00)
-
When:
October 23, 2011 (Always the fourth Sunday in October)
-
Location:
(Map
It) Aladdin Shrine Center, 3850 Stelzer Rd., Columbus Ohio (4 miles north
of the airport or exit I-270 at Morse Road/Easton)
-
Phone: 614-562-9752 e-mail -
fuller1200@aol.com
Antique, Collectible, Modern, Artist Dolls, Bears and Related items
Appraisals by Barbara DeHays - $3 per item - limit 2
Doll Display: Bachelor Party - Boy Dolls
Food Available * Door Prizes * Free Parking
Printout:
Doll and Bear Show
Return to Main
Menu
TALL STACKS - CINCINNATI RIVERBOATS
(Ticket prices vary)
-
Open: Scheduled every four years (new dates to be determined
- skipping 2012 but may resume in 2013)
-
Location: (Map
It) Cincinnati, OH
-
Contact info@tallstacks.com
The world’s largest gathering of
riverboats, this is one of the best special events in America, let alone Ohio!
It features more than 350 different specialty cruises from steamboats in the
port of Cincinnati on the Ohio River. Visitors will be able to take tours of
and/or go on cruises in the riverboats. The event will also house world-class
live music, food, boat races, and entertainment galore for the kids.
Printout:
Tall Stacks Cincinnati
Return to Main Menu
GERMAN VILLAGE OKTOBERFEST
Renamed the Columbus Oktoberfest and is at a new location under new
management. See
Columbus Oktoberfest for more information.
Return to Main Menu
|
