Summer Fun & Festivals in Ohio

If you're looking for something to do this summer, Ohio is the place to be! Lots of fun festivals will be taking place, helping you celebrate and get into the summer mood. Below you'll find just a few activities for your family, whether you're looking to learn about history or celebrate the arts.

July 16 -17, the Marietta Sweet Corn Festival is the place to be! Fresh hot buttered corn on the cob will be served alongside delicious foods from local restaurants. You and your family can participate in or watch cornhole tournaments, historical re-enactments and more. You'll have the opportunity to pet your favorite farm animals, or take a hayride around historic downtown Marietta, along the Ohio River. Many local and regional artists will be performing, including Matt First Band, the Faculty, Todd Burge, and Odd Urges.

If you have twins, triplets or other multiples in your family, the Double Take Parade in Twinsburg is a must-attend event! With over 2,000 sets, this unique event is the world's largest annual gathering of twins and takes place this year from August 6 - 8.

If it's good German food you're looking for, the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival is full of German heritage and takes place August 19 - 21. In addition to open-fire-roasted brats, you can watch parades, visit art shows, and participate in rides and games, or you can cheer on the annual bicycle race and the Bratwurst Festival Queen.

In the heart of Cincinnati, the Macy's Music Festival takes place from July 30 - 31 and has so much R&B, jazz, hip-top, and soul music to offer. Performers will include Charlie Wilson, Maze, En Vogue, Jill Scott, and others.

The Dublin Irish Festival is one of the biggest Irish festivals in the entire country. Attendees will experience over 60 musical acts, Celtic sports, hands-on workshops, an area to research genealogy, and a 10th-century authentic Irish village. The Irish Festival will take place August 6 - 8.

Another musical celebration that will take place that weekend is the Lebanon Blues Festival on August 7. You'll get to see live performances from groups including No Saints No Saviors, Bryan Lee, Robin Lacy, Them Bones and DeZydeco. In addition you'll want to check out the Blue, BBQ, and Bumpers car show for delicious food, hot cars, and more! Admission is free to this exciting event.

The Juneteenth Cincinnati festival in Eden Park celebrates the end of American slavery and fight for freedom. You'll see a unique parade of flags of the African Diaspora, as well re-enactments of speeches from Abe Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. There will also be live musical entertainment from jazz, gospel, blues, reggae, and R&B performers. this event takes place July 19 - 20.

August 6 - 8, Zanesville infamous Y Bridge will turn into an outdoor gallery, which showcases multi-media artwork and contemporary crafts from over 50 artists. In addition to the art, the Y Bridge Arts Festival will include live entertainment, gourmet treats from local restaurants, pottery, blacksmith, fiber arts demonstrations, and a children's activity area.

Festival Latino in Columbus' Genoa Park will take place August 14 - 15 and will feature Ohio's Hispanic culture. There will be multiple stages of continuous salsa, cumbia, meringue, norte no and banda music. You can dance to the Mexican beats or explore the marketplace for Ecuadorian crafts and Mayan Jewelry.

If history is your thing, the Tall Ships festival returns to Cleveland July 7 - 11. You'll see vessels representative of maritime history from the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, Great Lakes trading Schooners, Baltimore Clippers, and so much more! The event is great for the entire family, and even offers a children's play area in addition to live entertainment and the maritime marketplace.

The Summer Moon Festival in Wapakoneta will take place July 15 - 17. Wapakoneta is the hometown of Neil Armstrong. The Festival features a moon rock hunt and a rocket building demonstration among other fun, unique activities. Participate in the moon pie eating contest, wiener dog races, festival rides, live music entertainment and more.

Celebrate Dayton's aviation heritage at the Vectren Dayton Air Show July 17 - 18. Watch as the United States Air Force Thunderbirds display skill, power, and precision in their F-16 Fighting Falcons. You can also watch world-class aerobatic champions, military jet demonstrations, and other entertainment for the entire family!

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Remember to call 513-422-1907 for Security Camera Systems in Middletown, Cincinnati, or the Dayton, Ohio areas.

PAWS Adoption Center in Middletown

The PAWS Adoption Center is located on Cincinnati-Dayton Road in Middletown. They are a no-kill, non-profit shelter for unwanted dogs and cats and their goal is to provide care and homes for those animals, as well as to promote adoption and responsible pet ownership, which includes spay or neutering your pet. At any given time, they have 80 animals looking for a good home. PAWS has been around for over 25 years and offers many community events to help serve their purpose.

In addition to the PAWS Yard Sale that was held last month, the shelter does traveling mobile adoptions several Saturdays each month. For June, adoption days are on the 5th at Voices of America Park, the 19th at the PetSmart in Mason, and the 26th at the PetSmart in Bridgewater.

The weekend of June 12th and 13th, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, the shelter will hold their annual PAWS Dog Fest. The event will take place at Voice of America Museum Park in West Chester, on the soccer fields behind the museum. Cost of attendance is $8 per person. The goal of Dog Fest is to educate families about how many animals are in shelters across the Cincinnati area. Dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds and ages are on exhibit at the event and many are adopted each year. In addition, there is lots of fun to be had at Dog Fest. You can have your own dog participate in games, contests and even the doggie parade!

In addition to taking donation, PAWS is always in need of volunteers and there are many ways you can help. Some of these include: walking and playing with dogs, bathing dogs before adoption events, brushing and providing human contact for cats, helping around the shelter in the office or by doing maintenance, helping take pets to various adoption events, helping with big events such as Dog Fest, and helping with technical things such as grant writing and computer issues.

If you'd like to volunteer with PAWS, you can contact them by email at volunteers.paws@gmail.com. Volunteers much be 16 years or older. Those 7-15 must be supervised by a parent or guardian.

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Remember to call 513-422-1907 for Security Camera Systems in Middletown, Cincinnati, or the Dayton, Ohio areas.