Chillicothe — The annual “Feast of the Flowering Moon” opened at 11am today, and runs through 6pm Sunday. I explored it as the event awoke in Yoctangee Park and the downtown, and caught a few of the sights…and a couple interviews.
Sue Roberts at the information tent at the park entrance explained aspects of the festival, including the “Ducky Derby” where you can bet on rubber duckies Sunday afternoon. (I had asked her about the traditional “Anything That Floats But a Boat” contest that I remembered, and she said this is sort of its replacement.)
Their website explains “the festival was started in 1984 by the Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau as a way to help promote the city’s heritage and support “Tecumseh!” Outdoor Drama produced by The Scioto Society.”
Thus, Native American dancers are a big part of the event, as well as my favorite area, the “Mountain Man” encampment. There you might find characters like Simon Kenton, who had a respectful but uneasy relationship with Tecumseh.
I chatted with one of the vendors there about the possible future of the Feast. He explained what happened when another town stopped supporting their local festival.
And among the festival food, fancy dancers, tables of trinkets and treasures, midway rides, ponies and canoes – don’t forget that the Pump House Center for the Arts offers a cool, calm place on the other side of the park to appreciate this month’s show on photography, “Captured,” before it ends May 31st.
Find the festival’s website and Facebook page. The daily schedule is also online.
And, find the Pump House Center for the Arts website and Facebook page.
See also the sideline story – a photo essay on opening morning of the Feast of the Flowering Moon.
