Piqua Heritage Days

[woodmaster62]

Hey All!! :hatsoff:
It's that time of year again,and Piqua Ohio is gearing up for the Annual Piqua Heritage Festival. It will be the 25th Annual Piqua Heritage Ohio Wilderness Encampment held on Labor Day weekend on September 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. It will be held at the Johnston Farm/Piqua Historical Area on the edge of Piqua Ohio.

Pre-registration is requested by August 1st.

The website is:[url] http://www.piquaheritagefestival.com/index.htm[/url]

They will have:
- - Traditional Skills & Craft Demonstrations
- - Over 100 Crafters & Artisans Showcasing and Trading Their Wares
- - Native American Village
- - Pre-1870's Encampments
- - Continuous Great Old-Time Entertainment
- - Good Home-Cooked Foods by local Non-Profit Organizations

Camp activities will include Range shooting, Bow shooting, Hawk + Knife, Flint and Steel,
Children’s Costume Contest and others. These are open to men, women, juniors and half-pint,
with a Costume Contest from infant to 13 years old. Prizes are awarded at Camp Meeting each
evening at 7 p.m.

A Sunday morning worship service is held at 9 a.m.
There will be a designated area for handicapped campers.
Firewood, water and privies will be provided.

The Bourgeois is Jim Moody 937-376-3208 if you have any major questions, but the easyest way is to go to the website for more information:
[url] http://www.piquaheritagefestival.com/index.htm[/url]
For camping info the url is:
[url] http://www.piquaheritagefestival.com/forms/2007 MountainMen.pdf[/url]
If you want to be a trader, the url is:[url] http://www.piquaheritagefestival.com/forms/2007 Heritage Festival Crafts.pdf[/url]

My family and my in-laws family have been camping several years now and we've had some fun, some sun, some rain (heck one year it was like a monsoon), and some just plain confortable. Our favorite is the shooting range, (heck they've even tried a candle shoot a time or two) and we might even try some bow shooting this year.

It has some stuff thats getting awful modern, but you can stay in period camp all weekend if you want to, or "go to town" as we call it when we see what is on the traders side of the tree line (they've got some goood corn-on-the-cob that they steam cook over there on the traders side). Either way it's a fun time. The only fly in the ointment is the dry conditions this year - if you know any raindances, nows is the time to start dancing. Have a good-un and maybe we'll see you there!
grumpybear :thumbsup:

 

[shmrck1]

grumpy bear,
I'm not a camper or rondy person but this sounds like a nice little Sat. drive for Mrs snake and myself. Just wondering are non-participating
visitors welcomed?
snake-eyes:hmm:

 

[woodmaster62]

Hey Snake-eyes, :hatsoff:
There is all sorts of walk in traffic. Most of the people come out to check out the craft tents (which there many of) and good eating put out by some of the local churches and clubs. There are also many craft demonstrations like wood carving, the making of apple butter, the making of Maple syrup, and others. Most of the period traders are there too. These are in the southern section.

The northern section of the camp opens to the non period dressed public I think at 9am and closes at 6pm. Most of the traders stay on the southern section but a few camp on the northern section.

Also in the southern section is the orginal house of Col. John Johnston the local indian agent in the old days. His house (which you can go thru) the old springhouse and one of his old barns are still there(all things have been repaired or replaced). The Ohio Historical Society has a museum there that did have local artifacts-indian and colonial. Also there is a section of the old Miami-Erie canal in the back(at one time it ran all the way thru Piqua). The site even has a working canal boat called The General Harrison (I think thats the name) that is mule pulled and takes passangers several times a day.

They used to do an entry donation but I think they've changed that to an actual entry fee but I do not know how much ( my wife thinks it was a dollar last year). There is parking on site, but if it fills up you should be able to catch a shuttle bus at the Miami Valley Center Mall right next to the I75 and RT36 interchange.

There's something for everyone. But it is nice in the evenings as the northern camp is closed to all that are not period dressed after 6pm. Lots of music, round robbin trading, and assorted homemade drinkables are available.

It is a fun time! :thumbsup:

grumpy bear