Fair Days

To Hold On To Summer

From the sweet taste of funnel cakes to salty, fresh-cut fries, festivals and fairs call us back for a season of fun from now through early fall. With post-pandemic fears quieted, folks are coming out in droves to see, do and eat their way through Ohio’s midways and fairgrounds.

“We are definitely seeing a strong return to festivals and events,” says Anne Guggisberg, President of the Ohio Festivals and Events Association. “Being able to get out and about has not been

By Margaret Briller

easy with COVID. I believe life has finally returned to normal.”

With so many popular festivals and fairs, it’s hard to pick which to attend. “Every festival that the OFEA supports is unique,” Guggisberg says. “I think, if anyone went to an OFEA festival, they would enjoy the atmosphere: live entertainment, food vendors, rides, games, parades and much more. Our website (OFEA.org) can give you a list of all our festivals throughout Ohio and what they have to offer.”

LOCAL FAVORITES:

JULY 27-30. Fairview Park Summerfest, Fairview Park. Rides, a parade, fireworks and more. Bohlken Park. fairviewsummerfest.com

JULY 27-30. Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Festival, Cleveland Heights. Music, Hellenic Dancers, a big food tent, souvlaki, gyros, baklava and other food/dessert items, plus church tours. Taverna for beer, wine and spirits. stsconstantine.com

Aug. 4-5. Vintage Ohio Wine Festival, Kirtland. Sample wines from Ohio wineries. Scrumptious food, cooking school demonstrations, two stages of live music entertainment, artisans and shopping. Named “one of America’s Top Wine and Food Events” by USA Today. visitvintageohio.com

Aug. 4-6. Twins Days Festival, Twinsburg. The past 43 festivals have seen over 77,000 sets of twins and multiples, national and international media coverage, a visiting delegation of nine sets of twins from the Soviet Union, as well as on-site research by companies and universities. It is recorded as the “Largest Annual Gathering of Twins in the World” by the Guinness Book of World Records. twinsdays.org

Aug. 6. Chardon Square Arts Festival, Chardon. This juried, outdoor show hosts over 100 artists, both local and out of state. chardonsquareassociation.org

Aug. 11-13. North Ridgeville Corn Festival, North Ridgeville. What started as the city’s observance of Lorain County’s bicentennial has turned into a three-day fest of all things “corny,” complete with a Grand Parade, live entertainment, a corn-eating contest and more. nrcornfest.org

Aug. 18-20. Donauschwaben Sommer Oktoberfest, Olmsted Township. Join “Ein Prosit” under the tent for live music, great German food and plenty of good times. donauschwabencleveland.com

Aug. 26-27. Garlic Festival, Shaker Square. Affectionately known as “the stinking rose,” bulbs of garlic are roasted, toasted, fried and dried. You’ll find garlic fries, beer and ice cream, too. There is also a garlic cook-off, where local chefs are challenged to incorporate garlic in new and exciting ways into four dishes—chicken, beef, pork and vegetarian meals. northunionfarmersmarket.org

Sept. 8-10. Mantua Potato Festival, Mantua. Wide assortment of potatothemed contests and potato favorites made by members of the community. Smorgasbord of pierogis, potato pancakes, fresh-cut fries, etc. Live music. mantuapotatofestival.org

Oct. 13-15. Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival, Jefferson. Visit 19 beautiful covered bridges, including the longest covered bridge in the U.S., with a free driving tour map. Food vendors, crafters and free entertainment. coveredbridgefestival.org

AND DON’T FORGET THE FAIRS…

JULY 25-30. Calling itself “The Best Kept Secret in Summit County,” the Summit County Fair promises grandstand shows with “Smoke, Fire & Bucking Bulls.” summitfair.com

JULY 25-30. A magician, exotic animals and vegetable displays, too? It’s the Lake County Fair in Painesville Township. lakecountyfair.org

JULY 26-AUG. 6. If you have never been to the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, this is the year to go. Visit the famed butter calf, see baby animals being born, and listen to the sounds of the All-Ohio State Fair Band & Youth Choir. Don’t miss the free petting zoo, live music, livestock shows, entertainment stages, impressive magicians, an Ohio arts gallery, family-friendly shows, pop-up entertainment performances, costumed characters, award-winning crafts and an eight-acre natural resources park with free youth fishing. ohiostatefair.com

JULY 31-AUG. 6. With bull riding, a battle of the bands and more, the Medina County Fair in Medina offers entertainment for just about everyone. medinaohiofair.com

AUG. 8-13. The 126th Annual Cuyahoga County Fair, Middleburg Heights. Except for one year during the Depression (1932) and two years during World War II (1942 and 1943) the event has been held each year since 1893 at the Fairgrounds in Berea. Get exhibitor information and an event schedule at cuyfair.com

AUG. 22 - 27. Portage County Randolph Fair, Randolph. Plenty of art, farm goods and more are on display. randolphfair.com

AUG. 31-SEPT. 4. The Great Geauga County Fair in Burton, which began in 1823, is Ohio’s oldest continuous county fair and one of the oldest existing agricultural fairs in the nation. geaugafair.com