The Ohio Pawpaw Festival celebrates the largest edible native fruit of the United States (and Ohio’s State Fruit) through education presentations, various pawpaw competitions, the use of pawpaw in each of the festival’s food vendors, and a selection of pawpaw beer. There are also a nice assortment of vendors, educational displays, a children’s area and plenty of music.
2023 DATE: September 15-17, 2023
Location: Lake Snowden
5900 US-50
Albany, OH 45710
Website: https://ohiopawpawfest.com/
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I’ve been to the Ohio Pawpaw Festival three times with this post documenting my most recent visit. But you can also read about my earlier experiences.
To read my first 2009 experience – https://ohiofestivals.net/20-pawpaw-festival-lake-snowden-ohio-91909/
To read my 2011 experience – https://ohiofestivals.net/52-pawpaw-festival-albany-september-17-2011/
Below is my experience on September 16, 2016.
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After 5 years, I returned to the Ohio Pawpaw Festival…
…and tried to see everything before the sun set behind the trees.
There were the local pumpkins and sorghum…
…that familiar horse-drawn wagon…
…and the various tents…
…filled with presentations and events.
I found the totem pole in the Native American area…
…and was impressed on how the children’s area only seemed to grow…
…with the Kids Tent…
…various games…
…illuminated swing…
…and crazy monkey bar dome.
As the sun continued to descend…
…I made my way through the vendors…
…seeing everything from glass sculptures to tiaras…
…with some pawpaw art and tarot reading in-between…
…but I was only truly drawn to the Integration Acres booth…
…as this was the main place for pawpaws.
The sky continued to shift…
…so I headed to the beer tent…
…focusing upon a pawpaw beer…
…and made a selection before continuing on…
…to the grub.
There were plenty of great vendors…
…with pawpaw lemonades and frappes…
…pawpaw funnel cakes…
…and even whole menus with pawpaws.
After some thought, I decided to go to nixtamalized…
…for some delicious tamales…
…and just before the full moon made its way out.
And as the lights illuminated the stage below…
…I got to take in the music and finally relax (Water Witches).