Canal Days

I have been in some serious travel mode all summer for work and play. I really thought this year my travel schedule would be light, but the opposite happened, and I have been needed in various areas of middle and eastern USA. I have been to Ohio (to my favorite work site) multiple times, Alabama, Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, and North Carolina this summer, with some travel back to back with time just long enough to do laundry in between. The most recent 2 week stretch included back to back to back trips to North Ohio, New York, Central Ohio and back home on a Sunday. Monday, we went out to the Wilson County, TN Fair (aka the best state fair on TN) to have a good time eating fair food and seeing what animals, crafts, games and rides we could see. On the way back to our home late in the evening, I wasn't driving, and I saw an exit sign off the highway saying Gallatin. My mind momentarily took a lapse of remembering where I was, took in clues of what car and who I was with, and my mind said, "Oh wow, Ohio has a Gallatin town too!" I guess that is what happens when one is on the road too much.

Coshocton High School "The Redskins" band

During our short trip to central Ohio, we managed to arrange our stay during the same day as Canal Days in Coschoton, OH. Canal Days festival is a 37 year old festival to celebrate the 1st canal boat landing in Roscoe Port, Coshocton, OH on August 21, 1830. The festival takes place every year in the main square of this small town on the weekend closest to August 21.

Canal Day Queen

There are fair food vendors and local crafts vendors here. We went to the Canal Days celebration in hopes of finding a roasted corn vendor. Central Ohio is one of the biggest corn producing areas in the country, and the eating type of sweet corn from this area is like no other. In years past, as I am told, the corn vendor at Canal Days is the hit of town. So, we get there and there is no corn vendor. We walk around the square again, and nothing.

Canal Days Princesses

It is possible that the corn vendor is no more because the farmer is probably growing corn for ethanol production. I heard word that this area put in a bid for an ethanol manufacturing plant because of the know corn production, so farmers are no longer producing corn for human or livestock food, but for ethanol production. The farmers don't have to work as hard to grow corn, and they get a better price per ton. The result for people like me who want to eat delicious Ohio sweet corn is that there is no corn to be had, or corn per ear has become relatively expensive. Gone are the days of a dozen ears for a dollar at the farmers market, lets try three for a dollar, a 400% increase over the past 2 years. Gone are the days of roasted corn vendor.

Canal Days Jr Court

Disappointed in the lack of corn for human consumption in Central Ohio, we focused our attention to the Canal Days parade down Main St USA. The festival queen had long flowing blond hair like story book princess, the princess were decked out in pretty long dresses, and the junior court and senior queen (over 65) rode in style on a platform pulled by a truck. Even though we had no corn, we did get to enjoy an parade that was a throw-back into time.