A Piece of Americana - Northern Ohio Style
Where in Northern Ohio can you go to experience in sight, sound, and taste authentic Americana?
Where can you pet a donkey, watch a cannon being fired, experience grilled corn on the cob, and watch women dressed in perfect period clothing, spinning yarn on actual spinning wheels?
Where can you buy actual on-site forged metal art and utensils for fire pits and fireplaces?
I know my readers are on the edge of their seats, but the answer is one of Ohio’s best kept secrets! My wife reminded me last week when we were there, that our family has been enjoying the Annual Yankee Peddler Festival at Clays Park Resort, Canal Fulton, Ohio, for over 20 years!
Where is Clays Park you ask? Just get on Interstate 76 in Fairlawn and go South. Don’t swing left and go to Akron… go straight and the road now becomes Old State Route 21. Clays Park is 27 minutes (or 24.8 miles) down the road. There are signs and there are 2 exits off 21 for the Festival - take the first one (this entrance is nicer). You can order your tickets online or on your phone to avoid the line for buying. Then, when you get there, you can go directly to the entrance line on the right and walk right in. Yes, it was not held last year due to Covid, so the first two weekends have been quite busy.
The festival is held on the three weekends following Labor Day, so this weekend is your last chance to experience such live outdoor, Covid-safe Americana until next year!
So what makes the Yankee Peddler Festival so special? Let’s take a closer look…
First, Clays Park is a beautiful 500+ acre property with well-manicured woods and numerous walking trails, all surrounding a beautiful 10-acre lake that forms the center of this water park. Musicians, artists, and vendors are nestled in amongst the trees along the winding trails; and some of these trees are over 100 years old (judging by the rings exposed on those that have fallen).
To complete this Andrew Wyeth-style setting is a winding brook that flows through the park, complete with a covered walking bridge but, beware, don’t dilly dally because you will disturb the troll. Once disturbed, she comes out quite quickly, perfectly Hollywood-attired, complete with crooked nose and probably teeth to match, to give you a piece of her mind as she scolds you for disturbing her nap!
Musicians are playing in several strategic places. Many of the instruments are handmade and usually string in origin, thus keeping the early Americana theme intact. Several jesters and magicians are usually putting on a demonstration for the young people. Yes, when I was there last week, there were many strollers about, but with the rougher terrain I’d recommend strollers with the larger eight-inch plus tires.
The festival is very kid-friendly, with candle-making, primitive toys, sling shots, and tops - all items generally not offered at the mall. I always felt when my kids were younger that it was nice to show them that many things we use today were originally made by hand, not ordered online!
So by now you are probably asking, “Doc, why do you go back every year? What is the enticement?”
I would have to say there are several.
First and foremost, let’s look at the big picture of our current Covid society. The American Dental Association says we are grinding our teeth harder and more often than ever before. Alcohol consumption has been skyrocketing. People are just jacked out of shape with the current state of our government, prices, masks, the economy… recently, it seems, we have a plethora of stress-producing conditions with which we’re confronted.
The Yankee Peddler Festival is an escape to an oasis… a black hole to a slower time in our country… where little things mattered and stress was just a word in Webster’s pages!
It takes you back to a time when people created things with their hands and put their soul into the warmth of the wooden-handled ladle they had just made to stir tonight’s dinner with. I stood there, transformed back in time, as I watched a seasoned woman with bent fingers working a spinning wheel to produce a single article of clothing after a whole day’s work.
This was what made America great! As one strolls from artist to artist, clay to silver to wood, each of these individuals were proud and honored to have you watch them; and if you bought something, fine, but it was the experience shared that was more important than the cash exchanged.
The slowing down of life, even if for only an afternoon, is the reason why I write about great experiences like the Peddler that help us focus on what really matters in life. It re-adjusts our inner compass just enough to keep us going.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on the culinary experience of the Peddler.
Hot apple pie dumplings with homemade vanilla ice cream doesn’t get any better than here, where it is served from a wooden shack along a beautiful tree line.
Just down the trail are homemade apple fritters that will truly melt in your mouth; but be careful, they are hot!
Reuben sandwiches with barrel-made sauerkraut are on location, as well as bison burgers on a Kaiser bun - these are just a few of the mouthwatering treats that await you, just 27 minutes South on Old 21.
They also have an international corner with tacos, enchiladas, gyros, and my favorite - stuffed grape leaves on raisin rice.
How can I possibly wait till next year?
So grab your cash - many vendors were not using plastic (there’s an ATM machine on location) - and you can purchase some one-of-a-kind treasures for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, Yom Kippur, you name it! These gifts are truly unique and show you care (unlike pushing the magic “purchase” button on Amazon)!
As this is the last weekend of this year’s festival, get out to Clays Park, slow down time, and do your brain and body a favor - relax. (And for those that grind their teeth, your teeth will thank you for it.)
(As a little side note to my loyal readers, the #FridayPfisterFix will be moving to a bi-weekly publishing schedule. This will give me 2 weeks, rather than 1, to create great content for you in between blog posts.)
So until we meet again in 2 weeks, stay classy Medina County!
- Dr. P.