Pawpaw Festival

The Pawpaw Festival or Ohio Pawpaw Festival is an annual festival dedicated to the Pawpaw fruit (Asimina triloba) that is indigenous to the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States, and cultivated in the Athens County, Ohio, area.

The festival, sponsored by the Ohio Pawpaw Growers' Association, takes place near Lake Snowden in Albany, Ohio, in mid-September, during the peak of the fruit's harvest. Various pawpaw brews and other pawpaw-related activities are offered. The event has been sponsored by a number of different local organizations. The first Pawpaw Festival took place on October 10, 1999.

In 1996, Chris Chmiel founded Integration Acres and, in 1999, the organization began promoting the Pawpaw. In 1999, Chmeil, along with Integration Acres, created the first annual Pawpaw Festival.

In 2000, Chris worked again with the Albany Riding Club and to bring about another festival on September 16. By this time the festival gained some popularity. In 2001, the festival moved to Lake Snowden, the present day location of the festival. Moreover, the birth of the Ohio Pawpaw Growers Association took place.

In 2006, the Pawpaw Festival saw a great change, as the sponsor was that of Snowville Creamery. Memorable events included the Pawpaw Green Woman logo and the fifteen kegs of pawpaw beer.

In 2007, the sponsor of the festival was Ohio's Hill Country Heritage Area program and included live musical band performances, with audio CDs.

In 2008, the Pawpaw festival made itself more accessible, with the assistance of the Office of Sustainability, by offering a shuttle service for those college students that wanted to attend.

In 2009, the festival increased in attendance thanks to the appearance of various officials. The pawpaw became the official state native fruit of Ohio. This year eighteen kegs of pawpaw beer were consumed becoming the most consumed to date.

2010 brought about a longer festival wherein the previous one- and two-day festival periods were increased to three days instead. Most recently in 2011, the 13th annual Pawpaw Festival, it continues to run as a three-day-long event. Also, the 13th annual festival was sponsored by the Ohio's Hill Country Heritage Area program once again.

Initially, the Pawpaw Festival, as all things starting out, had not gained enough popularity with the surrounding region. Therefore, the festival needed to find a way in which they could increase their presence within the area. One method would be through the attendance of officials to validate the success of the festival. The first festival brought in individuals from Better Homes and Garden; along with The Washington Post and the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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