I've heard that Poultry Days in Versailles is the place to be in West Central Ohio during the summer.

Hartford Apple Festival

Its just an exercise in observing small town life. Mostly for the laughs and people watching, but still some good ol' fashioned fun with beer and carnival rides.

I guess it's one of those things that if you grew up with it, the novelty just isn't there.

Tiffins Heritage festival is always fun and Marion has a huge popcorn festival. But to me these smell town festivals aren't what they used to be. Maybe because I'm an adult and Ive had one too many elephant ears or the fact they seem to be getting smaller and less money invested and lower turn out. do these other towns have pretty good turn outs for their festivals?

I have soft spot for Caldwell on the fringes of Appalachia. We had a flat tire out in the middle of nowhere on a trip of OH to scope Cleveland out the month before we moved. They fixed us up very nicely. Cute town, busy town square, nice stores-including what sounds like the obligatory vintage toy store.

I love all of these little town festival names; they can be pretty fun.......

 

some near me:

 

* Milan Melon Festival (this is actually my favorite festival I've attended in Ohio)

* Monroeville Dam Festival

* Berlin Heights Basket Festival

* Vermilion Fish Festival

 

and always riveting

* Tiro Testical Festival

I too love the county fairs, and I definitely grew up with them.  The area where I grew up, there were a lot of farmers around the city - you either knew someone who was exhibiting something or you knew someone whose father had their business represented in one of the tents/barns where they can advertise and try to drum up business.  My best friend's Dad had some kind of water purification business and we used to travel around to a ton of the fairs.  My uncle used to have a cart selling buffalo burgers, which was a novelty in the 70s.  I went to a "state fair" in another state last year and it was AWFUL.  No agriculture representation at all, none of the cheesy crafts or baking contests or photography contests or anything, just food and rides.  Not even any animals.  It was totally lame.  I really think there's just something so kitschy and fun about going to a tractor pull or watching the chain saw carver or a frog race or greased pig contest (they had this at my hometown fair and I have actually participated, we used to do it at camp), eating a bunch of fried, bad-for-you food and wasting money on games, I just think it's a ton of fun.  I love going through the craft barns and seeing what people have put together - most of it is not my personal style but I like to see what other people are doing with their time and admire them for their efforts.  I love visiting all the animal barns and seeing which animals won awards.  I visit the psychic, eat junk food like I never eat any other time of year, play games and have a great time.  We try to visit several fairs each year.  when I was a kid we actually used to participate in dances in the barns - kids were totally unsupervised. Lorain has a pretty good one and we always hit cuyahoga and Ashland.  Ashland's is probably my favorite though it's a very small fairgrounds.  Every year I try to win stuffed animals so I can donate them.

Yesterday I badmouthed my hometown of Painesville for its lack of festivals (at least when I was growing up there), but I was informed that just this past weekend that town held an event called Party in the Park, a 3-day free music festival downtown featuring everything from rock to reggae and Latin to blues & jazz. Not only that, it purportedly attracts upwards of 50 thousand people (that’s more than twice the population!), and has been around for a number of years (held every summer around mid-July). I stand corrected. Obviously it's been many, many years since I've been back.

That sounds fun, wish i would have known about it.

Yesterday I badmouthed my hometown of Painesville for its lack of festivals (at least when I was growing up there), but I was informed that just this past weekend that town held an event called Party in the Park, a 3-day free music festival downtown featuring everything from rock to reggae and Latin to blues & jazz. Not only that, it purportedly attracts upwards of 50 thousand people (thats more than twice the population!), and has been around for a number of years (held every summer around mid-July). I stand corrected. Obviously it's been many, many years since I've been back.

Is that the same as the Mexican-American festival?  I was there a few years ago and loved the food.

Yesterday I badmouthed my hometown of Painesville for its lack of festivals (at least when I was growing up there), but I was informed that just this past weekend that town held an event called Party in the Park, a 3-day free music festival downtown featuring everything from rock to reggae and Latin to blues & jazz. Not only that, it purportedly attracts upwards of 50 thousand people (that’s more than twice the population!), and has been around for a number of years (held every summer around mid-July). I stand corrected. Obviously it's been many, many years since I've been back.

Is that the same as the Mexican-American festival?  I was there a few years ago and loved the food.

 

For all I know, it could very well be. Apparently in the last decade or so (but probably going back farther than that) Painesville has become home to a large Mexican population (large, at least in proportion to the town’s size of about 17,500. A while back I found the webpage for my elementary school and it looked like it was split in equal thirds between blacks, whites and Latinos). I think there are at least a couple of Mex. restaurants there also. (Back in my day, the only Latinos there were a very small group of Puerto Ricans)

For being such a small town it seems its population is pretty diverse. Is the swell of immigration to painesville good or bad to the city?

For being such a small town it seems its population is pretty diverse. Is the swell of immigration to painesville good or bad to the city?

 

From what I can glean from the blogs, it's a little bit good and bad. About half the residents are unhappy about it, but many more welcome them as they rehabilitate homes in marginal areas (like the part of town I grew up in!) The point of contention (beyond the obvious language gap) is of course the fact that many (if not most) of the Mexicans are undocumented. Earlier this year there was a large rally (well, large for Painesville--about 500 people) and march from the town's one Catholic Church (St. Mary, which now also holds services in Spanish) to City Hall in response to a Federal crackdown targeting Mexicans in Painesville and rounding them up for deportation. Since I haven't been back there in ages I really don't know what the true pulse of the community is on this issue (when searching for information about a year ago I found a very ugly diatribe by a onetime acquaintance of mine denouncing their presence, who painted a very stereotypical portrait of nearby Mexican neighbors living in an overcrowded house and throwing loud parties into the wee small hours. This may be true, but trust me, Painesville has more than its share of white trash for whom the exact same thing could be said! Furthermore, from what I've read, prejudice against them has come in equal parts from whites as well as from the town's black residents--who have maintained a sizable presence in Painesville for generations). Meanwhile, I think that Painesville's official position has been to be as hospitable and welcoming as possible, because for an old, poorer town (at least in relation to other surrounding Lake County municipalities), it's the Mexicans who are the only group providing it with any new (and hard working) residents.

Well from what I gather your friend kind of has a justification for her complaints because she believes them to be illegally tresspassing in our country and they just so happen to have moved in next door to her. Racism is not something the average American should tolerate in our everyday life. However our borders should be sacred so we are able to enforce the laws of our constitution and protect its citizens. Its kind of funny we might think makes us better then them just because of where we were born? But if we go to another country we have to follow their laws and rules just how we follow our own here.

Well from what I gather your friend kind of has a justification for her complaints because she believes them to be illegally tresspassing in our country and they just so happen to have moved in next door to her. Racism is not something the average American should tolerate in our everyday life. However our borders should be sacred so we are able to enforce the laws of our constitution and protect its citizens. Its kind of funny we might think makes us better then them just because of where we were born? But if we go to another country we have to follow their laws and rules just how we follow our own here.

 

I agree that we should enforce immigration laws, but this particular screed about her Mexican neighbors (and let me reiterate the person was an acquaintance—more a friend of a friend—from many, many years ago) was more-than-bordering on racist. In other words, if they had been legal immigrants—and I don’t even think she was certain they weren’t—I’m sure she would have written the same negative comments. But, in fairness, I guess it was also a quality-of-life issue, since the house did appear to have too many tenants for its size. Like I mentioned earlier, the presence of the new residents is receiving mixed reviews (apparently a couple of years ago the city manager made a rather grand statement officially welcoming them to town--actually written by a woman who heads a local Latino business and civic association and sent to Mike DeWine--that touched off a firestorm of protests for which he eventually apologized!). The white "ethnic" (I hate that term!) and old-time WASP population is still the majority there--but that probably won't be the case in twenty or so years (as a matter of fact, Mexicans have already eclipsed black enrollment in the public schools)

For those who point out the small town festivals - did you grow up in a small town?

 

Yep, Chardon.  Love those maple syrup stirs.

 

But nothing say weird and wtf than the Tiro, Ohio Testicle Festival, which I have never been to and don't plan to either.

 

http://factum.blogspot.com/2004/11/tiro-testicle-festival.html

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=985806b0-d53f-490d-ad69-e6395d31f99b

 

For those who point out the small town festivals - did you grow up in a small town?

 

Yep, Chardon.  Love those maple syrup stirs.

 

But nothing say weird and wtf than the Tiro, Ohio Testicle Festival, which I have never been to and don't plan to either.

 

http://factum.blogspot.com/2004/11/tiro-testicle-festival.html

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=985806b0-d53f-490d-ad69-e6395d31f99b

 

 

ummm.  I can't wait for the apple butter festival!  yummmm

 

 

 

ummm. I can't wait for the apple butter festival! yummmm

 

Burton has a good one.

ummm.  I can't wait for the apple butter festival!  yummmm

 

 

Burton has a good one.

YEP!  Thats the one I've been to.  I love to check out the Amish goods also.

Yesterday I badmouthed my hometown of Painesville for its lack of festivals (at least when I was growing up there), but I was informed that just this past weekend that town held an event called Party in the Park, a 3-day free music festival downtown featuring everything from rock to reggae and Latin to blues & jazz. Not only that, it purportedly attracts upwards of 50 thousand people (that’s more than twice the population!), and has been around for a number of years (held every summer around mid-July). I stand corrected. Obviously it's been many, many years since I've been back.

 

Party in the Park is supposed to be the largest free music festival in the country. And it's actually this coming weekend: July 16, 17, 18.

 

http://www.parkpartyinfo.com/

 

Special events and festivals are perfect excuses to take a trip to visit a small town. My favorites are eastside biased since I was raised in CF, but I have spent a lot of quality time at the Apple Butter Festival (10/9 in Burton), Maple Sugar Festival (April in Chardon), and my all-time favorite, the Memorial Day Parade in Chagrin Falls.

 

There are also concerts on the Triangle every Thursday in Chagrin Falls. Sidewalk sale is coming up too at the end of the month. And they're developing a mini-East 4th-esque little party district near the Little Theatre, although they need more liquor licenses to do this right. Well worth the visit anyway. :)

 

EDIT: Just noticed the date on this topic. Well, here's to zombie threads and new info!

Good bump.

 

Chagrin Falls has been mentioned multiple times but it really is what this thread is all about.

 

Geneva-on-the-Lake is right up there.

 

Burton and Middlefield for Amish Country visits.

 

Granville near Columbus.  Beautiful, new england style town with a college campus.

 

Put-in-Bay

Did anyone mention Loudonville? Between Mohican state park, all the hiking, canoeing, mini golf, the lodges and cabins for rent, camping, the native american pow-wow twice a summer and Malabar Farm, this is a great Ohio destination.  And yes, that's where we're taking our Staycation this summer.

Vermilion is nice (in the summer).  If you go, you have to go to Chez Francois.

Wooster is one of my favorite small towns.

 

I love Wooster.  It is a nice size because you get the small town feel, but there's a nice college campus, good sized residential housing neighborhoods to stroll through, and a really nice and functioning small town downtown, complete with a beautiful courthouse, some nice and unique shops, a few really good restaurants, and one of the better wine bars I have been to.  The night we stayed there was music on the square and a decent-sized farmers market the next morning.  Also, I highly recommend staying at the Market Street Inn if you stay overnight.  I have stayed at a fair amount of bed and breakfasts around the US and this was the nicest one I have been to.  A great house with large, clean rooms, beautiful common areas, an awesome porch, and great innkeepers who will make you about the best breakfast around NEO.  To top it off, the rates are very reasonable.  It just opened, so I don't know if they'll go up, but it's worth much more than what they charge.  I can't say enough good things about the place.

I'll add my votes for Granville and Gambier, as those immediately sprang to mind--homes of Denison University and Kenyon College, respectively.  I don't know what's actually there in either of those anymore, though; it's been a long time since I've been in either.  Granville used to have a beautiful little ice cream parlor right on the main drag through town; I don't know if it's still there.

 

Gambier/Kenyon is just gorgeous, and I say this as someone who isn't much of an outdoor person, and was even less so in 1998 when I went to high school summer camp at Kenyon.