Harvest Festival at Zoar attracts visitors from all over Ohio
The 38th Annual Zoar Harvest Festival and Antique Show & Sale was held August 6-7 under mostly sunny skies with only a brief downpour late in the day on Saturday to disrupt the events. The annual event is sponsored by the Zoar Community Association (ZCA).
The village was formerly managed by the Ohio Historical Society and is now operated by ZCA, founded in 1967 as a means to ensure the preservation and historical characteristics of the village.
Thousands of visitors from all over the region came to enjoy the historic village that was founded by German religious dissidents in 1817 and today serves as home to more than 60 families that live in the 75 homes built from 1817 to the present.
The Zoar Store served as both a place to shop and an information center during the two-day festival. Every 100th visitor received a prize. The store features primitive items, baskets, books, candles, lanterns, and rag rugs as well as Ohio-made pottery, period hats, children’s toys of the era and old-fashioned candy. Ice cold bottled water was charmingly displayed and available for purchase to help visitors stay cool.
In addition to the antique show that drew 65 vendors from all over Ohio, the festival included a tractor show, an antique wagon show, a juried American artisan and craft show featuring 45 vendors selling everything from primitives, walking sticks, hand-painted locally grown gourds, biscotti, pottery and much, much more.
Many vendors said it was an honor to return to the show each year because only the finest folk artists and crafts people were invited to the festival.
The popular sheepdog demonstrations were held at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. both days of the festival.
Visitors of all ages enjoyed the petting zoo provided by Stump Hill Farm at Massillon. This year’s animals included a zebra, an eight-week-old tiger, and a lemur, to name a few.
More than 30 works of art were displayed at Whitemyer Advertising Agency. All the art work was inspired by historic Zoar. It was the ninth year the agency has sponsored the show.
The Tuscarawas County Art Guild displayed members’ works of art at Fourth and Foltz Streets with much of the art available for purchase.
The Zoar Breakfast Haus and the Firehouse Grill & Pub were open for the convenience of visitors seeking a meal and a respite from the heat. Fresh baked bread, pretzels, apple dumplings and other delicious options were available at Sweet Treats in the Zoar Bakery. Vendors also provided various foods for sale including barbecue chicken, sandwiches, roasted corn, kettle corn, fudge and homemade ice cream in a multitude of flavors.
The Zoar Gardens were especially beautiful and attracted many visitors. Children’s games and cornhole were played. Live entertainment throughout the event was provided by Breakneck All-Stars, Sunshine Rider Band and Fare Passage near the beverage tent in the gardens. On Sunday, 1873 Votteler Organ music was played on the hour at the Zoar United Church of Christ.
For the ninth year, the Zoar Road Race coincided with the festival. One of the largest bicycle races in Ohio, the race attracted more than 100 racers last year and continues to grow in popularity.
Back this year was the Antique & Classic Car Show held on Saturday at the corner of Second and Park Streets. The car show had more than 70 participants and was sponsored by Harris Battery Company at Bolivar. It had been several years since the festival had featured the car show and both visitors and volunteers were excited to have it back.
Volunteer, Cindy Elsasser spoke for both herself and her husband Jon, who serves as president of ZCA when she said, “The festival seems more important this year as we are at risk of losing our village due to the issues with the levee.”
Currently the Zoar Levee is not performing as it should be and an assessment is underway to determine if the levee can be repaired. The village’s only options aside of repairing the levy would be to relocate the lower portion of the village to higher ground or acquire the property in the lower portion and raze the buildings.
“We hope this year’s festival has been a way to share information and to gather support to save Zoar,” said Elsasser. “It holds historic significance and it is our home.”
For more information on the campaign to save Zoar, contact ZCA at 330-874-2646 or at http://www.SaveHistoricZoar.org.
The village was formerly managed by the Ohio Historical Society and is now operated by ZCA, founded in 1967 as a means to ensure the preservation and historical characteristics of the village.
Thousands of visitors from all over the region came to enjoy the historic village that was founded by German religious dissidents in 1817 and today serves as home to more than 60 families that live in the 75 homes built from 1817 to the present.
The Zoar Store served as both a place to shop and an information center during the two-day festival. Every 100th visitor received a prize. The store features primitive items, baskets, books, candles, lanterns, and rag rugs as well as Ohio-made pottery, period hats, children’s toys of the era and old-fashioned candy. Ice cold bottled water was charmingly displayed and available for purchase to help visitors stay cool.
In addition to the antique show that drew 65 vendors from all over Ohio, the festival included a tractor show, an antique wagon show, a juried American artisan and craft show featuring 45 vendors selling everything from primitives, walking sticks, hand-painted locally grown gourds, biscotti, pottery and much, much more.
Many vendors said it was an honor to return to the show each year because only the finest folk artists and crafts people were invited to the festival.
The popular sheepdog demonstrations were held at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. both days of the festival.
Visitors of all ages enjoyed the petting zoo provided by Stump Hill Farm at Massillon. This year’s animals included a zebra, an eight-week-old tiger, and a lemur, to name a few.
More than 30 works of art were displayed at Whitemyer Advertising Agency. All the art work was inspired by historic Zoar. It was the ninth year the agency has sponsored the show.
The Tuscarawas County Art Guild displayed members’ works of art at Fourth and Foltz Streets with much of the art available for purchase.
The Zoar Breakfast Haus and the Firehouse Grill & Pub were open for the convenience of visitors seeking a meal and a respite from the heat. Fresh baked bread, pretzels, apple dumplings and other delicious options were available at Sweet Treats in the Zoar Bakery. Vendors also provided various foods for sale including barbecue chicken, sandwiches, roasted corn, kettle corn, fudge and homemade ice cream in a multitude of flavors.
The Zoar Gardens were especially beautiful and attracted many visitors. Children’s games and cornhole were played. Live entertainment throughout the event was provided by Breakneck All-Stars, Sunshine Rider Band and Fare Passage near the beverage tent in the gardens. On Sunday, 1873 Votteler Organ music was played on the hour at the Zoar United Church of Christ.
For the ninth year, the Zoar Road Race coincided with the festival. One of the largest bicycle races in Ohio, the race attracted more than 100 racers last year and continues to grow in popularity.
Back this year was the Antique & Classic Car Show held on Saturday at the corner of Second and Park Streets. The car show had more than 70 participants and was sponsored by Harris Battery Company at Bolivar. It had been several years since the festival had featured the car show and both visitors and volunteers were excited to have it back.
Volunteer, Cindy Elsasser spoke for both herself and her husband Jon, who serves as president of ZCA when she said, “The festival seems more important this year as we are at risk of losing our village due to the issues with the levee.”
Currently the Zoar Levee is not performing as it should be and an assessment is underway to determine if the levee can be repaired. The village’s only options aside of repairing the levy would be to relocate the lower portion of the village to higher ground or acquire the property in the lower portion and raze the buildings.
“We hope this year’s festival has been a way to share information and to gather support to save Zoar,” said Elsasser. “It holds historic significance and it is our home.”
For more information on the campaign to save Zoar, contact ZCA at 330-874-2646 or at http://www.SaveHistoricZoar.org.
Published: August 8, 2011
