6 August Food Festivals in Ohio

Since 1957, the Holy Assumption Orthodox Church in Marblehead has honored Eastern-European comfort food halupki. This year’s event is set for Aug. 16 and occurs in the middle of a slate of tasty food festivities that include the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival (complete with tomato-flinging fun), the Cleveland Garlic Festival and other happenings that give a strong flavor of our state‘s food traditions.

Bacon Fest | Aug. 8
Chow down on everyone’s favorite breakfast meat served every which way by Miami Valley restaurants and food vendors. Visitors to the sizzling event held at Kettering’s Fraze Pavilion can cast their vote in several contests, including most creative bacon dish, best bacon dessert and the coveted overall category: best damn bacon dish. Come hungry for live music, beer and cocktails and endless strips of salted pork. fraze.com


Akron Pickle Fest | Aug. 9
Head to Rubber City’s Lock 3 Park for the fourth annual iteration of this “big dill.” From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., snack on briney dishes from food trucks while perusing a variety of works and trinkets from local artists and vendors. Plus: stick around to compete in the Picklelympics, during which guests can bob and fish for the day’s star ingredient, as well as battle it out in a greased pickle toss. oddmall.info

Halupki Festival | Aug. 16
Every year on the third Sunday in August, Lakeside Marblehead’s Holy Assumption Orthodox Church holds this celebration of Carpatho-Rusyn foods. The festival’s namesake is an Eastern European cabbage roll, but guests can expect to enjoy perohi, kielbasa sandwiches, spanakopita and kolachi, among other regional dishes. In operation for almost 70 years, this storied gathering promises a liturgy, live polka music and craft vendors. holyassumptionmarblehead.org

Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival | Aug. 13-15 
Celebrate this city’s namesake as the birthplace of the modern tomato over the course of this three-day event at Huber Park. Enter various tomato-based events including the salsa showdown, tomato contest, spaghetti-eating contest and a pizza challenge, the latter of which determines the local shop offering the best slice in town. The tomato wars are also popular and feature plenty of tomato-flinging fun. Guests can also shop local vendors selling original crafts and merchandise, as well as food and drink. reytomatofest.com

Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival | Aug. 15-16
Pay homage to this prominent Ohio crop at Fairboon’s Community Park. Along with steamed cooked sweet corn, visitors can also load their plates with barbecue chicken, fresh cut watermelon and pork chop sandwiches. Shop from approximately 130 arts-and-crafts vendors after taking the kids on a pony or train ride. Don’t leave before participating in the corn-eating contest, which will be held Saturday at noon. fairbornsweetcornfestival.org


Cleveland Garlic Festival | Aug. 29-30
This festival returns to Shaker Square for two days of pungent, garlic-loving fun, featuring bites inspired by one of the culinary world’s most fragrant ingredients. The menu even includes garlic ice cream made by Cleveland-based ice cream-maker Mitchell's. All weekend long, guests can take a stroll down garlic gourmet alley and step into the craft beer tent. Kids in attendance will love getting their face painted and racing through the inflatable obstacle course. Whatever you do, just don’t forget your breath mints and chewing gum. clevelandgarlicfestival.org

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