It’s difficult to come up with a better way to integrate town and gown than with a big festival event that draws from both communities. In Athens, arguably the festival that best accomplishes this feat is the Ohio Pawpaw Festival. Well, technically, the annual celebration of this obscure native fruit takes place six miles southwest of your student rental in Athens. But make no mistake, the Pawpaw Festival reflects the culture and people of Athens and Athens County in multiple ways.
Rather than staying in your campus bubble during your four or five years attending Ohio University in Athens, leave your comfort zone and explore this area that you now call home. You can do that easily and enjoyably by attending the Ohio Pawpaw Festival. It draws a diverse attendance not only from Athens and Athens County but from across the state and other states as well. Wearing your OHIO T-shirt, you’ll find yourself standing in the beer line next to a farmer from Amesville or an auto mechanic from Jackson, while small children flit around like joyful fireflies.
Or if you’re a college student in, say, Columbus, this event provides a great excuse for a road trip, not more than 90 minutes’ drive from your campus rental near Ohio State.
What (and When) Is the Ohio Pawpaw Festival?
The 23rd annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival takes place Friday through Sunday, Sept. 17-19, 2021. We didn’t use the phrase “23rd consecutive OPF” since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event in September 2020. The one-year gap, if nothing else, should make this year’s Pawpaw Festival bigger and better than ever.
The festival takes place at Lake Snowden Park, a 15-minute drive southwest of Athens on U.S. Rt. 50/Ohio Rt. 32, just before the small town of Albany. Hocking College owns and operates the park. The festival takes place in the gently rolling pastures beside the scenic reservoir (named for the first female white settler in central Athens County).
What on Earth is a Pawpaw?
The Serious Eats website describes the pawpaw thusly: “Pawpaw trees, the largest edible fruit trees native to North America, produce greenish-blackish fruit, usually three to six inches long. The flesh is pale to bright yellow and contains a network of glossy, dark brown seeds.” The website aptly captures the pawpaw’s flavor, saying it’s “sunny, electric, and downright tropical: a riot of mango-banana-citrus” that seems contrary to the decidedly non-tropical Appalachian forest areas where it’s found. If you have hiked wooded Appalachian trails, including those around Athens, you’ve likely walked right past pawpaw trees on multiple occasions.
The Ohio Pawpaw Festival not surprisingly celebrates the pawpaw in a variety of ways, with pawpaw meals, desserts and even beer. (In fact, Jackie O’s fabulous Pawpaw Wheat Beer is a great reason to celebrate on its own. Just don’t drink too many of them – they pack a wallop). The festival provides a variety of events and contests focusing on the pawpaw.
What You Can Expect at the Pawpaw Festival
Events planned for this year’s Ohio Pawpaw Festival, according to the festival website, include “the Best Pawpaw Competition, Pawpaw 4-Miler Race, Pawpaw Cook-off, Pawpaw Eating Contest, Pawpaw Brewer’s Round Table & Tasting, Pawpaw Double Nickel Bicycle Ride…”
Other attractions include multiple arts and crafts vendors including tables specializing in pawpaw topics. You can even buy pawpaw fruit and trees at the festival. Many political and environmental booths are also on hand.
Even if you’re not a big fan of the pawpaw (you’re not alone), the OPF offers plenty to enjoy. This includes educational workshops, kids activities, plenty of food trucks, a beer garden, and a full lineup of live entertainment with local and regional bands and performers. Camping is also available if you just want to hang out at the park the entire weekend, though campsites sell out early.
Fun for All Ages
As mentioned, one of the best aspects of the Ohio Pawpaw Festival is that it attracts all kinds of people. This includes folks of all ages, from families born and raised in Appalachian Ohio to college students from Ohio University to young professionals who live in Athens. The festival also draws from outside the immediate area, including college students from Ohio State and farther afield.
After the sun sets each evening at the festival, and most of the families leave for the day, a younger set takes over in the live performance area, dancing and vibing to the headliner acts that take the stage.