After 25 years of being held in the same location, the annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival is moving from Lake Snowden in Albany to the Snow Fork Event Center in Nelsonville. The Festival has been held at Lake Snowden since 2001.
The change in location stems from a disagreement between the festival directors and Hocking College, the owner of Lake Snowden.
Since its debut in 1999, the Pawpaw Festival has remained a tradition for many Southeastern Ohio families. The festival takes place over a full weekend, filled with fun and educational events. The festival also hosts live music, presentations and special events, such as competitions for visitors.
Chris Chmiel, founder and director of the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, said that the location change was unexpected, due to Hocking College’s unusual contract requests this year.
“It was (Hocking’s) proposal to change the contract significantly,” Chmiel said. “We didn’t accept their proposal because we felt like it was just a lot more expensive, and so we weren’t able to come to an agreement.”
Chmiel chose the Snow Fork Event Center after seeing the Nelsonville Music Festival undergo a similar process, dealing with location problems. However, Chmiel stated he was unsure if this would be the permanent location.
One main concern of this year's festival is the operations for the vendors. A location change brings changes to rules, regulations and the processes vendors go through to set up.
Ronnie Givens, owner of the Rhythm & Food food truck, is a consistent vendor of the Pawpaw Festival. This will be the fourth year Rhythm & Food attends the festival, where they serve specialty pawpaw dishes, such as pawpaw barbeque sauce, hot sauce and pawpaw-based coleslaw.
Despite the circumstances, Givens is preparing for another successful event; however, he admits there will be some setbacks.
“My main concern is logistics because I’m not used to being at that venue and seeing how things operate out there,” Givens said.
Givens added he is nervous about the new layout, but eager to see how many people attend this year's festival.
Chmiel shared a similar outlook on these changes, focusing on the new possibilities rather than the restrictions.
“It’s an invigorating kind of excitement,” Chmiel said. “We have to seize this moment and make the best out of it.”
Several traditions have grown out of the Pawpaw Festival over the last 28 years, including yearly festivities and campouts. Chmiel shared that they appreciate all the traditions festival goers have built and plan to preserve as many as possible.
One longstanding tradition of the festival is camping at the grounds of Lake Snowden. With the change to the Snow Fork Event Center, that tradition comes to an end this year.
One festival goer, Magnolia Bradley, is disappointed to lose this opportunity but excited to experience this year's festival. Bradley, a junior at Ohio University studying psychology, attended the festival for her first time last year.
“I really liked the outdoor activities that they had,” Bradley said. “I hope that everyone continues to come together despite the change in scenery.”
After spending her first festival swimming in Lake Snowden and enjoying the scenery, Bradley said she is pessimistic about the festival's activities changing in the fall.
“Based on my first time going, I think that I would prefer it to stay in the same place,” Bradley said. “I think it will have a negative impact.”
This year's festival will take place from Sept. 18 through Sept. 20, according to the Ohio PawPaw Festival webpage.
