This post documents my experience on October 8, 2011.
Sometimes Ohio can be undeniably magical, transporting festival goers through time and space to scenes of the Renaissance, the Great Trail, Colonial America…
…and even Dodge City, 1878…
…as it did through the Old West Festival.
Located between Williamsburg and Mt. Orab….
…a ticket booth was the only thing to separate you…
…from the Dodge City of the late 1800’s…
…with period structures to explore…
…critters to check out…
…and entertaining decor spread about…
…that was definitely worth reading.
Every corner of the grounds had some form of entertainment…
…including gun shows (shooting bullets through quarters)…
…musical numbers…
…sing-a-longs for the kids…
…medicine shows and stunts (The Pickled Bros)…
…various stage performances…
…and even melodramas (after this sing-a-long warmup).
There was enough entertainment, in fact, that you needed some time to see everything…
…so it wasn’t a bad idea to slip in a good old-fashioned meal between shows…
…or even an occasional snack.
There was even beer if need be.
Similar to the Ohio Renaissance Festival…
…re-enacting volunteers added to the festival’s charm…
…as they wandered the streets…
…camped and cooked…
…interacted with each other…
…deputized the good youngens…
…and imprisoned the bad ones (which you could do for a $5 warrant).
But, if imprisoning your loved ones wasn’t your cup of tea, there were other activities to take part in for a little extra cash…
…including adult games (hatchet-throwing)…
…kids’ games (fishing)…
…and rides on either a pony or train (for kids).
Shopping-wise, tradespeople set up booths, working and selling products in the fields of…
…iron…
…cloth…
…spices…
…soap…
…and even photography.
But if your historical photo made you realize how badly your dress matched the current period, the festival did offer ways to blend in a little better…
…through hats…
…boots…
…outfits…
…and jewelry (Phoenix Oddities Studios).
There were also accessories for the youngsters…
…and, honestly, these were probably appreciated the most.