The giant pumpkin of Circleville

by Danielle Purcell

Lindsey’s Bakery Caters to Circleville Pumpkin Show with Monster-Sized Pie

Cartoon pumpkin stickers decorate shop windows in downtown Circleville, proclaiming the arrival of the town’s annual Pumpkin Show. For over one hundred years, Circleville residents have honored these rotund squashes with parades, pageants and contests. The city rejoices for several days, from October 21^st to 24^th, in celebration of the pumpkin. Only one local shop, Lindsey’s Bakery, has the bravado to prepare a monstrous pumpkin pie.

Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey, the original owners, maintained the store for “a good long time” before leaving their legacy to their daughter. Now, Grandma Katie Miller, bustles about the back half of the store.

A framed letter Grandma Katie received from Bob Dole hangs on the right wall. The Lindseys watch from their frame on the left. A gigantic tray sits atop its pumpkin throne. Its diameter exceeds ten feet. Grandma Katie’s nephew and employee Chad Kushmer says it’s “the small one.” Kushmer says he will not aid in preparation of the beastly pastry.

“If I tried to help at all, I’d mess it up,” he said. “I’ll leave it to the professionals.”

The actual tray for the famed pie is extremely large. Think fourteen feet in diameter large. A sign above the tray displays the famed recipe for the gigantic pie, which calls for a whopping 96 pounds of pumpkin guts for its filling. Professionals, indeed.

The shop also offers an array of pumpkin-based delights, including donuts, cookies and pies, which tempt customers in neatly-iced rows beneath the glass. Kushmer says the pumpkin donuts are exceptional, the “big season seller.”

Ironically, after the famed pumpkin pie is prepared and displayed, no one enjoys the pie. Lindsey’s Bakery employees agree that too many customers have touched it. The pie’s remains are donated to local farmers and fed to pigs.

Marv's Place and Ethel's Attic

by Sarah Kyriakedes

Homemade food, cheerful service and picturesque scenery are three aspects in the realm of restaurants that are hard to come by today; however, Marv’s Place, located at the center of the quaint town of Sardis, Ohio, along the Ohio River provides those who visit with all of the above.

The restaurant’s old-fashioned structure and unique atmosphere truly takes customers on a journey back into time with its authentic wood countertops and original black and white photographs adorning the walls.

The restaurant is located in the historical 1894 commercial building that was acquired in the 1940s by Marvin and Ethel Merriner. Under the Merriner’s ownership the building served as a grocery store, poolroom, and apartment complex. Over time the building was passed down to their grandchildren and the townspeople of Sardis feared that it would get torn down and an important piece of Sardis history would be lost. Instead, the family renovated it by turning it into the family-run restaurant on the first level and a consignment and artwork shop in the upper level called Ethel’s Attic. To honor their lineage they decided to name the business after their grandparents, Marvin and Ethel.

Although the restaurant is distinct in its historical value, it has other claims to fame in both Ohio and West Virginia. All of the food served at Marv’s Place is made from scratch. The family strives to serve quality food that, as its co-owner, Sharon Davis said, “one would expect their grandma to fix.” From the infamous Marv’s burger to the homemade desserts, it is hard to go wrong when choosing an item off their menu.

“People love to come here, because we’re one of the few places left that serves food that doesn’t taste like a TV dinner,” Davis explained.

Marv’s Place attracts a varied clientele ranging from townspeople stopping by for their daily cup of soup to the out-of-town travelers stumbling in to grab a bite to eat.

After a satisfying home-cooked meal, head upstairs to browse antique goods and homemade crafts in Ethel’s Attic. A few years ago, Davis and her two brothers, Charles and Jim Merriner, decided to expand their business and open this charming little shop.

Keeping in line with authentic feel of Marv’s Place, the shop acts as both a consignment shop and an Artisan’s Mall. Customers can drop off their antique goods to be sold and they can also browse artwork made by local Southern Ohio artists.

When shopping, it truly feels like you have discovered a world full of treasures; handmade baskets hang from a wooden tree in the corner, intricate painting line the walls, beautiful glass ornaments lie in an antique trunk and colorful marbles fill several baskets. And all of this exceptional art is only half of what you can find at Ethel’s Attic.

The shop also sells antiques that townspeople have brought in- original glass Coca-Cola bottles, sewing machines, wooden furniture and china dishware, are just a few of the items that can be found.

There is also a children’s toy section to keep the little ones busy while mom and dad shop around. There are no electronic video games or board games to be found; only toys from a much simpler time are sold here.

The Merriner family is able to provide their customers with two businesses that stop you in your tracks with a cheerful atmosphere and quality of life products; both of which are not all that common in today’s society. Marv’s Place and Ethel’s Attic are truly a breath of fresh air, and worth the trip to Sardis, Ohio.

Moonshine Festival

By Colleen Kiphart


Every Memorial Day weekend for the last 39 years New Straitsville, Ohio has held their Moonshine Festival. The event, organized by Ken Burgess, celebrates the region’s fabled history as “The Moonshine Capital of the World”.


It is a 45-minute drive to the festival from Athens. You can either take State Route 33 most of the way there or back roads, but each route gets you there in under an hour. I took the back way, riding along winding roads lined with trees and steep inclines. It really set the mood for a laid-back rural summer fair. Like any small-town event it has a full slate with a parade, vendors, local food, the crowning of the Moonshine Queen, and a headlining musical act on Memorial Day. This year featured Nashville recording artist Ricky Lynn Gregg.


My visit to the festival got off to an inauspicious start when I realized that there was no definite location listed for the festival, just New Straitsville. It was not a specific park, fairground, or school parking lot. No, it was just the entire town of New Straitsville listed as the venue. So, going by my extensive knowledge of small towns (thank you Andy Griffith reruns) I searched for “Main Street” and went from there.

My directional gamble on Main Street paid off, and I rolled right into the heart of the celebration. The Moonshine Festival consists of a car show, a dunking booth, carnival rides behind the main thoroughfare, about a city block’s worth of food and craft vendors, and, in the center of it all, a small main stage for music.

I spoke with festival organizer Ken Burgess in his office behind the stage and had to strain to hear him over the barbershop quartet that was singing karaoke-style. “This is important to our history,” he says. “It is the heritage of the village, and it really keeps the village alive.”

Burgess expects this year’s festival to bring five to seven thousand people into the village. That’s a huge addition to the normal population of New Straitsville that, according to census reports included only 787 people in 2007.

Main Street was lined with members of the populous, people sitting in folding chairs watching the hustle and bustle go by. Many filtered into a local fire station to enjoy a pork dinner or lined up in front of the dunking booth to soak their friends. Classic pop music from the car show competed with the more temperate, mellow music from the main stage, which competed directly with the noise of the carnival rides behind it.

It took me about an hour to really see everything. I glanced at the vendors, considered playing a game, but in the end I spent the most time in the New Straitsville Historical Society’s Museum speaking to Sheryl Blossmer. She told me how due to conditions in the mines of New Straitsville, the town became the birthplace of the United Mine Workers. The walls of the storefront museum are lined with photographs and information. There is not an inch of wall space that is uncovered.

One of the items that most interested me was the information about the Works Progress Administration in the Great Depression coming to work on the “longest burning mine fire in history”. The blaze, which began in 1884 and burned for more than 117 years, was ignited in a coal miner strike.

There is little discussion about the coal-dusty history of this town back out on the main arcade. This is a time when the villagers revel in people coming into town for a glimpse of moonshiners in their natural environment. And there are moonshiners still about. Asked if he thinks white lightening is still being produced nearby Burgess doesn’t even hesitate, “Yes,” he replies with full confidence.

Further reading/links:
History of New Straitsville:
Festival information:
WHIZ Zanesville:

Olde Village Diner

By Evie Ebert

After the welcome sensation of bitter cold air conditioning, the first thing that my dining companion and I noticed about Olde Village Diner in Pickerington was that we were the youngest patrons there – by a long shot. An elderly couple held post near the cash register, smiling at each other over their mugs. An imperious older gentleman in a crisp mesh ballcap stretched out his arm along the empty booth, a newspaper unfolded before him with precision like an architect’s blueprint. As we took our seats, the diners and waitstaff discussed a grandchild’s orthodontia and a daughter’s driving permit. The Regulars continued their conversation as they received a warm-up on their coffee and we quietly picked a booth, hoping not to seem too obviously, well, Irregular.

They serve up typical diner fare with hints at the establishment’s Greek history, the open-face meatloaf sandwich sharing menu space with lamb gyros. On the dessert board, rice pudding and galaktoboureko are listed right next to the fresh pies du jour. Breakfast items are served all day, and this gourmand was particularly intrigued by the Friday special of all-you-can-eat fish and fries for $7.25.

Olde Village Diner is cozy, the walls are lined with booths and the windows trimmed with toile valances. Metal and red vinyl swivel stools stand at attention by the bar, and white boards on the walls boast the daily specials. The friendliness of the staff put to rest any worries about feeling uncomfortable about our first-timer status, and soon I was halfway into a cup of black coffee. When our server noticed we were working on a crossword puzzle, she cautioned with a wink, “No cheating!”

We finished our meal by splitting a slice of apple pie a la mode, molten ice cream pooling artfully around the flaky, homemade crust. As we paid our bill, our server recalled an older couple who comes in every week. The wife clips out each day’s crossword from the newspaper and staples the solutions to the back. Penciling their names at the top, they meet at the diner and tackle the week’s puzzles together.

It’s not hard to see how the Olde Village Diner could become an extension of one's own hearth. And if I lived near Pickerington, I’d certainly investigate that all-you-can-eat situation on Friday.

Blue Shoe Arts Studio

By Jen England

Every artist is unique in his or her talents, and the Blue Shoe Arts Studio/Gallery, located near Carroll in Fairfield County, is home to many unique artists. The program is dedicated to helping artists with disabilities express themselves and find their voice, aspects of their lives that deserve to be showcased yet often get stifled. BSA, which began in 2004, has been home to great creativity and beauty. It's all in the paintings. And the pictures.

Art in Gallipolis

By Abby Clary



If you're interested in learning more feel free to visit their Web site at: www.frenchartcolony.org

Life's a Joke

By John Silvestro



Enjoy an original composition written and performed by Jay Hill. The idea for the song came to Jay while he was at the local bar. Sitting near by was a recently laid off coal miner, who was complaining about his life. After a long diatribe the miner finally came to the conclusion that "life was just a joke." The quote stuck with Jay and the next morning he worked it into the song you have now. For more on Hill and his frequent music partner look for future blogs or visit his website: http://jescowhite.net/