The festival is a yearly tradition for the town. The weather was wonderful. We saw lots of booths…read moreselling items. We enjoyed looking at all the Longaberger baskets. The basket headquarters is in Dresden. There were programs and activities for each day of the festival. We found free street parking. It was fun talking to the vendors.

First Impression (***): "Uh oh!!!" We were passing through to get to Chillicothe. It was the first…read moretime we were in this part of the state. We saw the masses of people slowly increase when we realized we were driving through the heart of a festival! Actual Impression (*****): The idea of letting traffic pass through made sense... and is really cool! We would have stopped if parking sections were clearer! We saw a spray painted $4.00 parking sign and didn't trust it. The food looked great - I wish I could have had bourbon chicken delivered to my car window! The animal artist had a really cool alligator (or crocodile?) Lasting Impression (****): I would return if I happen to be that far away from home. Looked fun!

I'd rate it a solid 3.5 but for the sake of the stars, I'm giving it a 4 - especially for a free…read morefair! Friday around noon was so busy, but it was expected since the weather was gorgeous. There are mostly good vendors above all else, but it's also the best blooming onion (and I look forward to it every year!) We park for free and walk a bit of a distance. I love seeing the homes decorated for Halloween! We don't ride fair rides, but we do live to people watch and, this year, we caught the pet parade which was really great! So much bigger than I ever expected and some very sweet pets in adorable costumes!! Love trying the different treats. Though it's not homemade, I got a pumpkin roll from the Shriners booth and it was pretty tasty and for a good cause. Also purchased some homemade buckeyes from a church group that were awesome. Always love seeing the giant pumpkins, too! I do wish they had more local vendors for buying gifts. The vendors are mainly cheap mass produced junk shop goods (and a lot of gross political things.) Just not my vibe at all. I still think it's worth a visit though! It's well run and a great way to get into the spooky season!

It's okay now it is way more food vendors than anything it's not a lot of pumpkin exhibitions and…read moreit's not a lot of other things going on you will find small places of people singing and things like that but if you like carnival food this is the place for you to be

My family and I look forward to this event every year! The last 10 years we have been a vendor…read morerepresenting a non-profit that has Apple cider and water by donation. But that aside, this is a great family-friendly event with arts & crafts vendors, food, a chance to mix Apple Butter over huge fire pit, and plenty of free activities for kids and adults alike. The performers on the central stage with straw bales in the seating area makes a good place to rest before tackling more shopping, eating, or meeting up with friends you haven't seen since the last Apple Butter Day. Highly recommend this event. It's always on the 2nd Saturday in October.

A little Groveport history: Back in the day, Groveport was 2 settlements - Wert's Grove and…read moreRarey's Port. Wert's Grove was settled primarily as an orchard and the streets on this side of the village reflect that (Cherry, Oak, Walnut, Grove, etc.) Although there isn't an Apple Street, the residents of Groveport decided Apple Butter Day was a good way to remember the town's start and bring together the community. Volunteers start weeks before the festival making apple butter from scratch using manual methods (i.e. a copper kettle over a fire and a wooden stirrer on a long pole). Most of this is canned for people to buy at the festival (or at the Heritage Center throughout the year), but some is saved to be reheated the day of the festival and sold with thick pieces of homemade bread for $2 a slice. If nothing else, I have to get a slice of this bread!! In the meantime, there is entertainment (animals and pony rides for the kids, live music, apple butter making demos, etc.), food (churches and youth groups make better than your average fair food and fudge, lots of fudge), and vendors (get your Christmas shopping done early!). I think that this event is getting better as it goes on. This last one was packed with people and there was enough going on to keep us down there for several hours!

FINALLY! I've known about the Pawpaw Fest for several years, and always managed to miss the…read moreweekend. This year, I made sure to mark it on my calendar and check it out. NOTE: single-day tickets are a bit on the higher side - $20, but a healthy portion of the proceeds goods toward the preservation of pawpaws in Ohio which is always a win-win situation. Tee shirt feen, right here! You bet I picked up a shirt (or two)! Love the cool design logo for this year's festival. Integrated Acres is a huge pawpaw farm in Athens, so I'm glad I went this year, got to taste the fruit - a cross between mango and banana. Got a big 'ol pouch of frozen pawpaw pulp to enjoy through the cold winter months - it's good to dream of tropical climates, folks! Oh, and Snoweville Creamery was at the fest selling their vanilla ice cream with pawpaw pulp on top, and let me tell you, mmmm mmm mmmmmmm!!

Just a small hop and skip from Athens sits Lake Snowden. A small lake, but notoriously known for…read moreone major event that pops up every September, Paw-paw fest! I've been going for years... mostly to stock up on paw-paw fruits. What's a paw-paw? It's Ohio's native fruit. It's actually one of the few fruits that grow in our part of North America. The fruits have particular growing environments that they need to thrive.... particularly, wet, ravine areas with shade, but still some sun. Perfect conditions for those who live in Hocking county & south.... in the north? Not so much, although some have been spotted in Clintonville area. The fruits range per the region they are cultivated, but Ohio's is typically a green avocado shaped fruit, which tastes like a mix between a very rip banana meets mango. They are related to the papaya family.... I believe. So, the festival itself is like something straight from a Mother Earth News magazine. Lots of workshops & presentations on permaculture, horticulture & pawpaws. Pretty informative stuff, if you're looking to learn. Across the grounds is a stage with locals stringing up some music. On one side of the festival you have crafters/artisans selling prints of their pawpaw masterpieces, ceramics, jewelry, glass, lawn ornaments, etc. On another side you have food vendors dishing up just regular food truck fare, and if you're lucky, some of them have paw-paw items to purchase. in between, you have vendors selling Ohio native plants, including paw-paw tree saplings and much more. Note**There are shuttles that run here, as once parking fills up in the main area, you're forced to shuttle. If you drive just a few hundred yards up the road, across from a gas station will be a large lot to park, and shuttle buses stop frequently. Going here is just easy going. Everyone's pretty laid back in true Athens county fashion. It's really easy to just sit back and get absorbed into all of it, and not to mention, Paw-paws are a delicious treat that Ohio gets to experience for a minuscule period of time. Worth a stop for all you hippie-earth-ohio-loving people.

Wonderful time at the festival! The parade was great! It was long! Over two hours, we were so…read morethankful the weather cooperated. The food was fantastic! We sampled the big beef hoagie, doughnuts, corn dog, hot ham sandwich, butter pecan ice cream and of course buttered sweet corn! Sweet corn is $2.50 an ear or $2 each when you buy 5 or more. Parking is $10 and includes entry to the fair. No pets aloud.

There are a million options for food, I had a ton of fun. I may not eat any corn again for a year,…read morethough.

This is the nicest festival I have been to in Canal Winchester…read more Compaired to the rather small ones they usually host, this was pretty major for such a small town. The car show was cool, alot of very nice vintage cars to admire with owners willing to give you the story on them. A lot of kids, rides, snacks, games as well as live bands for adults and the usual fried foods and art/jewelry stands to browse. Also goes on the entire labor day weekend which is nice. Perfect for a stroll on a beautiful late summer day with the family.

Somehow my wife and I managed to justify not just one, but two (!) meals of fair food this weekend…read more Such is the joy/curse of living within walking distance of the annual Canal Winchester Labor Day Festival. The first go-round was understandable -- we haven't eaten the junky treats of fair food in years. So we loaded up on the first day with corn dogs and fried cheese. The next day, we found ourselves drawn back to the festivities at lunch. Ribbon fries. Elephant ears. Lemon Shake-ups. Yet more fried cheese. How are we still alive? I still feel a little sick. Along with the wonderful fair food, this 80-year-old celebration boasts the usual small town carnival stuff -- a midway with games, live music ( I heard at least three Journey covers), arts and crafts, a car show and a parade. No huge surprises, other than the fact that the small town of Canal does it up so big. It's a blast!

Finally got to actually see the festival after 6 years of marching it!! The Jackson Apple Fest…read moreholds a special place in my heart as one of the biggest parades I got to march in middle and high school, and the true appreciation the community has for the bands and other groups that perform. Actually walking through the festival, I have to admit, was a little disappointing. I love fair food as much as the next person, but I was really hoping to see more booths about the community, the apples, and maybe more music considering what an important role the marching bands play in this celebration. I saw only one booth selling apples, out of dozens of booths. I didn't see anything explaining the significance of apples to the festival or Jackson. Most of the booths were the same fair foods, church advertisements, or cheap Ali Express knick knacks sold at a higher price. The rides were squeakier than my hometown county fair's, so you definitely couldn't catch me on them. I definitely didn't hate the festival, but I just wish it had more community and celebration aside from the parade. From the band/marcher side, I was sad to see after several years, they still have not invested in more covers for the wires on the ground. Even as a pedestrian, I was tripping over them, and I remember how dreaded these wires were during parade marching. I really hope they cover these to avoid accidents and just provide easier mobility. The groups that perform deserve that. In my opinion, the parade is what makes this festival. Bands compete for ratings, but they also have fun and celebrate each other. I recommend coming after 7 for the parade. There are lots of floats, lights, and fantastic musicians. That is where I really feel community.

Where are the APPLES?! The Apple Festival has slowly turned into a fair. Good luck finding a candy…read moreapple in that place! Only found 2 places at the entire event that sold candy/caramel apples. What a let down. If someone opened an apple only kiosk they would corner the market. Truly a let down. There's always the pumpkin show which never fails to disappoint.

A nice small-town festival. Park across from the park, and walk under the road, to a laid-back,…read moreshady park with plenty of fair food, and evening entertainment. We had the best corndogs ever from Bite Me Corndogs, but there were lots of other interesting options, not limited to the usual fair stuff. There were games and small rides, firetrucks, etc. Not a huge event, which is fine for us, especially with the baby. Come for an hour or so, or come see a show- they had several interesting bands scheduled, plus a car show.

I go to this festive every year. It's always a classic and the apple cider is the best!read more

I'd been planning to stop in and check out this local fest, since hearing about it two years ago,…read morewhile at the Serbian Festival. These local ethnic festivals are, in my opinion, a fantastic way to show centra Ohio's cultural diversity! The church is beautiful. Stained glass windows. Vibrant mosaic tiles. Paintings all over the walls. Macedonian music playing outside. As you enter through the building. There is two rows of food - both sides of the line offer the same goods. Tons of pork and beef dishes, kabobs, sausages. Dessert are the later half of the line. Cream puffs, pastries, baklava, fruit-and-nut concoctions. I'm planning to systematically nibble through all these treats. I'm extra excited for a bite of the stuffed pepper and giant sausage (for the love, I can't remember the name of them - but they look very plump and juicy)!!

The best food! Fair prices! The best desserts options. I feel bad for them because of the rainy…read moreweather,I know what it takes to organize such an event!

You've got to hand it to Pickerington for trying. Apart from the questionable connection between…read morethe city of Pickerington, jazz and ribs (and the blatant rip-off of the bigger Columbus Ribfest), the annual Pickerington Jazz & Blues Ribfest was darn cool. Quaint downtown Pickerington hosted this celebration of smoked meats on August 5. In addition to several food and craft vendors, the fest boasted about half a dozen groups of folks barbecuing up ribs for sale. Surprisingly, the stand run by Open Hands Ministry seemed to be the biggest hit. Live music played on two stages throughout the day, and there was a beer garden. As in years past, the festival was a family affair. There were plenty of diversions for kids. There were animals from the Columbus Zoo and lots of games. Aside from the copious amounts of ribs, the day-long party stayed in pretty familiar small town festival territory. The festival is usually held the first week of August each year. Check it out.

This is actually in Canal Winchester now. From what I heard Pickerington wouldnt approve the Beer…read moreGarden. Honestly, nothing much has changed other than the location. You stand in horribly long lines for mediocre food at best. One thing I noticed is there is no sense of urgency to get you through the line. We stood for at least an hour with only like 15 people ahead of us (I think it was Soul Food) and my husbands pulled chicken sandwhich was all bones, fat and inedible. The only reason why we go is for the jazz that is always very good. My recommendation...eat before, go on a full stomach, and just take chairs to sit and listen to some really good eclectic jazz music.