Ohio Tobacco Festival Returns This Week

Source from:  Maysville online 08/26/2010

RIPLEY, Ohio -- Just as much as tobacco is a traditional crop for Kentucky and Ohio farmers, the annual Ohio Tobacco Festival is a tradition for Ripley, and this year's lineup of events promises to be a crowd pleaser. The theme for the 29th annual festival celebrates heritage with the theme "Tobacco … A Tradition Grows." Events kick off Thursday in downtown Ripley with craft shows, commercial exhibits and food booths opening at 5 p.m. The Ohio Tobacco Festival Queen Contest starts at 8 that night. Friday has a full line-up of events, with festival activities beginning at 9 a.m. The parade will take place at 5:30 p.m. with entertainment taking the state at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. New this year is a fireworks display that will start at dusk on Friday. If the fireworks are rained out, the display will be moved to Saturday night, said Lonnie Moran, one of the organizers of the event. Saturday's events include a 5K run/walk; registration starts at 7 a.m. and the event begins at 8 a.m.. The car show begins at 9 a.m. and Moran said a new addition to the car show is the inclusion of motorcycles. Also Saturday will be the tobacco cutting contest at 10 a.m. It is the only event not to be in downtown Ripley and will take place at a location on Eagle Creek Road. Moran said those interested in participating or attending can learn the address at a festival booth. The tobacco stripping contest will take place at noon with the Ripley Idol Talent Show kicking off at 2 p.m. Also Saturday will be the garden tractor obstacle at 4:30 p.m., wagon backing contest at 5 p.m. and entertainment taking the main stage at 7 p.m. Sunday's events include a baking contest and auction at noon, a tobacco spitting contest at 1 p.m. and cigar and pipe smoking contest at 1:30 p.m. Entertainment takes the stage at 1 p.m. Sunday as well. The first festival took place in 1982 when community leaders decided to create an awareness of tobacco, provide some entertainment and possibly generate some revenue for participating organizations. That same year, then-Mayor Donald Thacker proclaimed the fourth weekend in August as Ohio Tobacco Festival time in Ohio. Enditem