If you are searching for some fun for your entire family, consider coming to the Piqua Heritage Festival.  It is one mile North of Piqua off SR 66 at the Johnston Farm.  There is truly something for everyone!  Pre-1840 Encampments, craft tents (several of them), native american village, old-time entertainment, home cooked foods by local non-profit organizations.

Saturday & Sunday 10a-8p
Monday 10a-5p
$ 1.00 admission (There's not much else you can do for a dollar these days)
It is loads of fun for the whole family!
They have a petting zoo and a hay maze for the kids, a climbing wall and lots of other events!
And.....you may just get to catch Hessian-1 in a kilt!  Woo Hoo

Callgirl

Piqua used to have an "Outdoor Underwear Festival."

No joke.

      Let's not forget about the big steam engine cooking sweet corn.  If you plan on seeing everthing, wear comfortable shoes.
      Over at Springfield Saturday and Sunday, is The Fair At New Boston.  This is a recreated trade fair of the year 1802.  If you are in to time travel, this is one of the best events anywhere.  Lots of neat stuff.  West of Springfield a couple of miles on US 40.
      And lastly, the Kenton Coon Dog Trials is going on right now and ends Sunday.  Eighty acres of selling, swapping, eating and jawing.  If you can't find it there, it doesn't exist.  You owe it to yourself to go at least once in your lifetime.

Family and I went to the festival Sunday and had a good time, other than the canal boat rides were sold out way too early.  Didn't get to go on that, they should have more than the 6 times Sunday so that more people can actually go.

Another thing was the "special" area.  After 6:00, nobody in "normal" dress could enter one whole section of the farm.  A less than friendly "guard" let us know in no uncertain terms as we started to enter and also saw a closed to public cardboard sign that had been erected.

I was going to tell him I knew the secret password and the secret handshake, but my poor wife would have been embarassed....

By 6:00, at least 8 different shops had closed up for the day, although it was supposed to be open until 8:00 Sunday.  The organizers should insure that the vendors / shops stay open when they should be open, kind of like some gun shows.

All in all we'd do it again, but I'd tell everyone to plan on it "starting to close" 2 hours prior to the "actual" closing time.  That is what we saw.

MournSword

P.S. - Saw Hessian running around and talking with the Mrs., but didn't want to bother him at the time, didn't see him again to say Hi!

Well, I'm back! (finally) Had a great time! Ate lots of corn, steaks on the brazier; even baked a couple of loaves of bread in a dutch oven.  Picked up a "Curly Grostomski Chiefs grade Trade gun"(12 gauge) and a nice scrimshawed powder horn off a couple trade blankets. Up till 3am singing, pick'in, and socializing(Guiness, hard cider, "Rumilaide,"  and "applepie" were plentiful) Beautiful weather, no rain, although a little too warm for my taste.

Sorry, Mournsword camp is closed to the public after 6pm. However if you had given the "dogsoldier" my name, and told him you were visiting me he would have allowed you and your family/party entrance. I couild have probably found an extra loin cloth or kilt and a shirt for you and I'm sure the missus could have scared up some "suitable clothing" for the rest of your family. (You know, so you wouldn't look like a bunch of "flatlanders")I had lot's of cold beverages(for all ages) in my lodge and y'all would have been welcome to "set a spell & jaw a while." Actually, the "real fun" doesn't start happening till the sun goes down! As for the few vendors closing up early, that happens from time to time. Most of the vendors were there late thursday, early friday. By sunday they were getting alittle hot and cranky. (Not making excuses, just citing reasons.) All in all, most of the people on the circuit are pretty good folks. At least that's what I seen. Be that as it may, I'm glad you had a good time. I've been "doing the festival" for going on seven years and I've never had a bad time, (even when we almost floated away last year!)

Hessian-1time to hit the showers!

Hessian-
          Congratulations on scoring a Curly Gostomski gun.  Curly was quite a character and living historian.  Canoed with him about 25 years ago.  Fun times.  When he had an opinion, that man HAD an opinion.  There were/are a whole bunch of people across this country who have preserved bits and pieces of old time skills.  Unfortunately, every year more of them leave us.  Nice to have something tangible by which to remember them.