Yankee Peddler Festival

Northern Ohio’s art, crafts & entertainment event

A visitor’s guide to the Yankee Peddler Festival, an event with art and unique crafts for sale in Canal Fulton, Ohio, for three weekends after Labor Day.

The Yankee Peddler Festival is a gathering of hundreds of crafters, artists, and musicians who provide demonstrations and items for sale, in the outdoor atmosphere of Clay’s Park Resort in Canal Fulton, Ohio.

The festival is held each year in Canal Fulton, Ohio, for three weekends in September, starting the weekend after Labor Day. Hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is required, $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors over 60.

A trip into the past

For the weekends, the park is known as the 14th colony, and the festival is set in the 18th Century. There is no electricity to the booths, and demonstrations are done by hand, using tools from the era. Smiths work iron over open fires and carvings are done by hand or with foot-pedal lathes, by vendors in period costumes.

The town criers provide information to visitors throughout the park, which is divided into eight sections, with quaint names such as Hoot Owl Roost, Muskrat Cove, and Possum Run.

As a consequence of the historical setting, there are no modern bathrooms, and portable toilets are available at the entrances. There is running water for handwashing, and sanitizer as a concession to modern hygiene.

Food

This restriction also extends to the food concessions, which offer choices in tune with those times. There is no cola, but there is iced tea, coffee and non-alcoholic birch beer. Roast corn is a favorite, as are baked potatoes and sweet potatoes. Ox roasts and chicken dinners are among the many choices, and sweets are popular, from apple fritters to kettle corn.

Entertainment

The main feature of the festival is the hundreds of booths offering unique craft items for the entire home. You will find clever and useful items for the kitchen, bath and yard. The imagination of the designers is unlimited, and beautiful sun catchers compete with exotic jewelry, dried flowers and wall hangings for your attention and dollars.

Merchants always accept cash, often checks, and despite the lack of electricity, many will take credit cards. Music is throughout the park during the festival, played on period instruments, often dulcimers, with the occasional fiddle or bagpipe. Puppet shows amuse children of all ages.

Recent years have brought the addition of YP Today, a section of the festival with more modern arts and crafts, and wine tasting.

Being Prepared

The festival is held outdoors, rain or shine. The resort is a mixture of grass and dirt paths, and you should be prepared for some muddy areas after recent rain. September mornings are cool in Northern Ohio, but a sunny afternoon will warm up nicely.

Clay’s Park Resort is located off of either Ohio Route 93 or 21 in Canal Fulton. Once you reach Canal Fulton, small signs point the way to the festival, and you can follow the crowds, as attendance is large. Parking is free and surrounds the three entrances.

Yankee Peddler Festival
13190 Patterson St NW, North Lawrence, OH 44666
Phone: (412) 831-2927

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