Top 10 Best Mid-Ohio July Festivals for Arts, Music and Culture

From Lake Erie to the Big River, or the Ohio, our state is full of summer festivals and adding additional events each year. Out cities and towns are proud of their individual and community histories and like to share these aspects of town life with the greater public. Each summer month is particularly scheduled with festivals and the Fourth of July Week is a fun time to take a vacation with family or on your own and view what's happening in Ohio, the Buckeye State. Some of the interesting and entertaining festivals for July each year are listed below, along with some historical attractions nearby.

LOUDONVILLE OH

CLASSIC CAR SHOW - The first Saturday in July each year; July 2, 2011

Loudonville is a favorite spot in Ohio, in the Mohican State Park Area and more than one festival is held here. The Classic Car Show is a lot of fun, held in the Historic Downtown District of Loudonville in early July. The related, popular magazine, Cruisin' Times has rated this car show as the Number One in the nation in 2008. The event includes musical entertainment, car parades, concessions, and over 500 classic cars to view and admire. Awards in the various classes of classic cars are awarded at the end of the afternoon on Saturday and the cost to register for the contests is under $10.00; spectators free. This is an inexpensive way to have fun around the 4th of July.

Loudonville is southeast of Mansfield, Ohio and the McDonald's in Mansfield on Highway I-71 was the first in the state to operate a 24-hour Drive Thru Window. Current staff and management may not even be aware of that!

Mohican Indian Pow Wow

Pow Wows are one of my favorite types of events to attend and I am always looking for more of them. This one is held early in July (for 2011, July 8 - 10) in Mohican State Park. Since the National Pow Wow moved from Washington DC top Indiana and rotating cities, the remaining pow wows have had a chance to gain attendance and develop additional activities. the Pow Wow is held at a rustic camping venue called the Mohican Reservation Campgrounds and Canoeing. Although rustic camping is available at reasonable rates, the campground also provides free WI-FI Internet access and wide screen movies each weekend in the summer. Canoeing is on the Mohican River, which local groups attend and clean in an ongoing program of preserving the river.

Pow Wows are fascinating, having their own respectful etiquette for participation and attendance, and no alcohol or drugs are permitted on the grounds. A Grand Entrance Parade is held at least once daily and dance demonstrations an contests include divisions for men, women, Senior Citizens, children, and short lessons for the audience. Native Americans and First Nations form other parts of the US and Canada often come to Ohio Pow Wows, especially to perform in dancing and drum circle songs and competitions. Fine arts and crafts are always on display and occasional workshops these arts are offered. Story telling, educational presentations, and traditional Native foods from Ohio groups are always offered.

BALLOON FESTIVAL

If you're in Loudonville for the Classic Car Show, you're also in time for the Balloon Festival in Ashland, on the other side of Highway I-71. In 2011, it is held through July 3. It incorporates balloon races, glows (lighted balloons at night), sports activities and many special things to do. The Battle of the Bands is a lot of fun. Check the link above for the current events' schedule and a look at the balloons that will be at the festival.

July 2nd is a busy time in Downtown Loudonville. In addition to some of the festivals above, the cdistrict will be hosting other events that include an Antiques Festival and a huge Fireworks display celebration at Riverside Park on the riverfront of the Mohican.

If you are in the Mid-Ohio area near Loudonville during the middle of July, the Chatauqua has been resurrected a few miles away again in Ashland, Ohio. In 2011, July 12 - 16 will see the Ashland Chatauqua for entertainment and education, with actors portraying famous "Adventurers and Explorers" in our country. Some of my favorites are Teddy Roosevelt, Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, Leif Eriksson, Amelia Earhart, famous cowboys and pioneers, and even Ponce de Leon and his quest for the fountain of youth. This three-day event is fun for families, historians, and anyoen that wants a different type of experience for the 4th of July Week (the actor portraying Amerlia Earhart REALLY looks and sounds like the famous pilot!). Reasonable hotels and B&Bs are located nearby.

This is radical. Malabar Farm west of Loudonville, part of the Ohio Historical Society and State Parks systems offers families and children a lot of opportunities to see a working farm and get to know its animals. However, in mid-July, the farm holds a Night Haunt from 8:00 PM to Midnight that is said to be so scary that no one under 17 should attend. It is a journey into the paranormal that includes bats, cemetery visits, discussions of murderers, ghosts and other beings, with food around a campfire as well. For 2011, the event is scheduled for Saturday, July 16. See Malabar Farm.org for the Night Haunt and other festivals held on this National Historical Landmark.

Another event in mid-July is appropriate for the entire family. This is the Mansfield Rock N' Ribs Festival (July 14-16 in 2011). Cooking demonstrations, concessions, rib-cooking contests and a variety of music highlight this three-day event. It is held from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM each night at North Central State College. Bands have included Here Come the Mummies, 38 Special, various tribute bands (Rolling Stones), and the Kentucky Head Hunters.

This region of Ohio is in Amish Country, including Mansfield, Ashland and most of Richland and Holmes Counties. Visitors are sometimes surprised to see horses and buggies traveling the same streets as automobiles in the cities. Amish restaurants offer delicious home cooked meals, with a store at the front where you can purchase Amish breads, pies, cakes, jams, jellies and other products, all made from scratch. A program has been developed to offer Amish meals in actual Amish homes around the year and even at Christmas, with details that can be seen at Amish Heartland Tours.

Nearby in another community that is also the home to many Amish, Thunder Over Holmes County is a 4th of July celebration held July 1 and 2 in Historic Downtown Millersburg. It is a festival with fireworks, music, vendors and entrtainment.