Ohio Swiss Festival

From Ohio Swiss Festival Website:

The fourth weekend after Labor Day is a magical time in Sugarcreek located just 8 miles from Interstate 77 in Tuscarawas County. It is a time when Swiss is queen and cheese is for all during an event known as the Ohio Swiss Festival. There will be 64 candles in the Ohio Swiss Festival birthday cake this year.  There will be everything Swiss from cheese to alphorns and, of course, singers and plenty of polka.

According to many, it’s the event that put Sugarcreek on the map and it’s back for its 63rd edition. Billed as one of the most popular outdoor festivals in the state, the Ohio Swiss Festival brings old world charm to life and gives visitors plenty of opportunities to experience uniquely Swiss culture. As the name would indicate, Swiss cheese takes center stage at the festival as area cheesemakers compete for the title of Grand Champion, or best in the business, according to the Ohio Swiss Cheese Association. Last year’s Grand Champion, Guggisberg, is hopeful about a repeat performance this year.

The Ohio Swiss Festival kicks-off on Wednesday night, September 28 with the crowning of the Little Swiss Miss and her court at the fire station pavilion at 6 p.m.

Kid power will be on display at the annual Big Wheel Race set for 6 p.m. on Main Street. The People’s Choice Swiss Cheese Judging and Eating Contest will be held at the fire station pavilion at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday night, September 29 just before the Swiss Cheese Auction at 7 p.m. The crowning of the 2016 Grand Champion Cheesemaker and the 2017 Ohio Swiss Festival Queen are also slated for Thursday night at 7 and 8:15 p.m. respectively.

Highlights for Friday, September 30, the first full day of events for the festival, will include the Garaway Marching Band playing on Main Street at 12:30 followed by the always popular Kiddies Parade at 2 p.m. There will be live entertainment on two stages and wine tasting and cheese sampling inside the Fire Station throughout the day.

For those who like a little sport, Steinstossen (stone throwing) is a traditional Swiss sport in which male contestants hold 138 pound stones over their head and hurl them for distance. Woman toss 75-pound stones. An open competition starts on Friday evening and continues through the weekend with the final contest set for Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m.

Don’t forget the food as there are vendors from far and wide. There are churches who sell authentic Swiss cookies and others who share fry pies. There are booths with pasta and, of course, fried Swiss cheese. A chicken barbecue and bratwurst meal will be served up in style at the fire station throughout Friday and Saturday.

The annual 5K run that draws more runners each and every year and is a great way to burn some of the calories one can ingest along the way is set to run through the festival grounds and throughout village of Sugarcreek on Saturday morning, October 1 at 8. A challenging 10K course is back again this year. The fun run is also a great way to participate in the annual Swiss Cheese Chase.

For those who want to try their hand at yodeling, a contest will be held on Saturday morning at Noon at the Main Street stage. A Swiss costume contest is also planned.

Main Street’s sidewalks will be packed as the Antique Car Parade makes its way through downtown starting at 1:45 p.m. followed by a tribute the late Jim Hosteler for his many years of service to the Ohio Swiss Festival on Saturday afternoon. The Grand Parade will make its way down Main Street hill directly after the tribute.

This is an outdoor event and dependent on good weather. Safety comes first for all events. Utilize social media and tune into local radio stations for information throughout the event concerning events viability. Please, no pets are to be brought to the event by spectators. Service animals are welcome.