Tourism
CELINA - As Grand Lake's water quality continues to improve each year, tourism in the area around it also continues to flourish, with this year set to be another exciting summer on and around its waters.
Coldwater Knights of Columbus Picnic
COLDWATER - Coldwater Knights of Columbus will host their 58th annual picnic May 30-June 1 on the grounds of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, promising an entertaining weekend. There will be inflatables and activities for the entire family.
Chickasaw Community Picnic
CHICKASAW - This year's Chickasaw Community Picnic will feature the Tiny Town Play Studio Kiddie Land when the annual festival kicks off a summer of fun May 30-June 1.
Taste of the Town
COLDWATER - The Taste of the Town extravaganza returns to Coldwater on June 10. It will take place 5-10 p.m. on Elm Street near the depot in Coldwater Memorial Park. The date was moved to the second week in June to allow more space between the Knights of Columbus Picnic and Taste of the Town.
Fort Recovery Harvest Jubilee
FORT RECOVERY - Fort Recovery will host the Harvest Jubilee June 12-15.
Taste of Fort Recovery, which is run by the Fort Recovery Merchants Associa
Versailles Poultry Days
VERSAILLES - Versailles Poultry Days is set to officially earn the title of world's largest chicken barbecue at the 74th annual festivities, which are aptly themed PoultryMania and slated for the second weekend of June in the heart of town.
Burkettsville Community Picnic
BURKETTSVILLE - The Burkettsville Community Picnic, set for June 6-8, will feature everything from mud volleyball and music to children's activities and barbecue chicken dinners.
Rockford Community Days
ROCKFORD - The Rockford Community Days festival is set to return June 13-14 at Shanes Park.
The two-day festival starts Friday when the food and be
Governor's Cup Regatta
CELINA - Amid an endless slate of weekend festivals, the Grand Lake region will also host its first series of hydroplane races since 2015.
The Governor's Cup Regatta, organized by Veterans Forever Inc., will hit the waters of Grand Lake June 21-22.
New Knoxville Independence Day
NEW KNOXVILLE - Organizers of this year's New Knoxville Independence Day Celebration are ready to strike up the band for the first full parade in the village for nearly 20 years.
Maria Stein County Fest
Local fave Buschur performs Saturday
MARIA STEIN - This year's Maria Stein Country Fest, slated for June 27-29 on the grounds of the Maria Stein Shrine, will have a little bit of everything, from the beloved turtle soup to an all-new, exciting Wild West show.
Red, White and Blue Celebration
COLDWATER - The fifth annual Red, White and Blue Celebration will take place July 4 at Coldwater Memorial Park.
The event, compliments of Community
St. Henry Community Picnic
ST. HENRY - Locals should keep Fourth of July weekend free of plans, as the 2025 St. Henry Community Picnic is sure to keep them busy with games, food and live music from July 4 to July 6.
Taste of Celina
CELINA - The Taste of Celina Block Party will serve up a bevy of food and drink samples from local restaurants and vendors as well as the jazz-fusion stylings of the CPR Band on July 11.
Wapakoneta Summer Moon Festival
WAPAKONETA - The Wapakoneta Summer Moon Festival is set to take place July 15-20.
"The Summer Moon Festival has been held annually in Wapakoneta to
Immaculate Conception Festival
CELINA - Immaculate Conception Festival organizers have put together a schedule of musical acts and activities for this year's festival running July 18-19.
Berne Swiss Days
BERNE, Ind. - The 52nd annual Berne Swiss Days is sure to be a packed weekend full of Swiss-themed fun, like yodeling, polka dancing, brat eating and even a performance from the local Swiss City dancers.
New Bremen Firemen's Picnic
NEW BREMEN - The New Bremen-German Township Firemen's Picnic, the longest-running picnic in Auglaize County, will mark its 104th year July 25-26 at the downtown Crown Pavilion.
Celina Lake Festival
CELINA - The 2025 Celina Lake Festival set for July 25-27 will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the appearance of The International Amphicar Owners Club.
Chattanooga Farmers' Picnic
CHATTANOOGA - For more than a century, the Chattanooga Farmers' Picnic has offered a wide variety of activities for a day of summer fun for young and old alike at the festival grounds located 2.5 miles east of the village on Tama Road. This year's event, the 110th edition, is set for July 31.
Fort Recovery NTPA Grand Nationals
FORT RECOVERY - The 2025 Fort Recovery National Tractor Pullers Association Grand Nationals event returns July 25-26 at the beautiful, 52-acre Ambassador Park in Fort Recovery.
Auglaize County Fair
WAPAKONETA - The 173rd Auglaize County Fair will be held July 27 to Aug. 2 at the fairgrounds located at 1001 Fairview Drive, Wapakoneta.
Billing
Coldwater Community Picnic
COLDWATER - The 65th annual Coldwater Community Picnic will be held July 31-Aug. 3 with the theme "It Takes a Village."
The reverse raffle makes it
127 Yard Sales
The World's Longest Yard Sale will return to Mercer County properties along U.S. Route 127 Aug. 7-10.
The annual event is nearly 700 miles long and
Mercer County Fair
CELINA - The 173rd Mercer County Fair will be held Aug. 7-13, boasting the theme of "Best in the Midwest."
"We'll carry that theme out through diff
St. Marys SummerFest
ST. MARYS - SummerFest will return Aug. 7-10 in downtown St. Marys, bringing a packed schedule of entertainment for all.
The event, put on by the S
Bremenfest
NEW BREMEN - This year's milestone celebration of 50 years of Bremenfest will feature some new features and some events from the past will be brought back for the special edition of the festival.
Coldwater Multiple Donations Softball Tournament
COLDWATER - The 45th Coldwater Multiple Donations Softball Tournament will be held Aug. 13-17 at Coldwater Memorial Park.
Between 1980 and 2019 the
Win on the Wabash
FORT RECOVERY -- The seventh annual Win on the Wabash returns Aug. 22-23 at Ambassador Park with an array of door prizes, raffles, music, food, drinks, exhibitors and top-notch entertainment, including Crush, a Bon Jovi tribute act, and country star Craig Morgan.
Durbin Bean Bake
CELINA - The Durbin Bean Bake, one of the area's most historic and longest running events, returns Labor Day, Sept. 1.
The event, first held in 1898 and now in its 126th year, traces back to a reunion of Civil War veterans.
St. Joe Homecoming Festival
ST. JOE - The St. Joe Homecoming Festival is celebrating its 42nd anniversary this year.
The festival will take place Sept. 5-7 on the grounds of St. Joseph Parish at 1689 St. Joe Road, Fort Recovery.
Heritage Day Celebration
MARIA STEIN - The annual Heritage Day Celebration returns to the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics 12-4 p.m. Sept. 21.
Held in the shrine courtyard at 2291 St. Johns Road, the festival began in 2016 as a family-friendly event, according to Diana Russell, fund development director.
Minster Oktoberfest
MINSTER - Fresh off a banner 2024 celebration marking 50 years of Oktoberfest, organizers of this year's tribute to Minster's German heritage report they are expecting huge crowds of people to again turn out for a weekend of fun.
Eldora Speedway
Although early rain curtailed the early portion of the season, the 72nd season of racing at Eldora Speedway is gearing up to have another big season of dirt track racing.
Celina Concert Series
CELINA - The Celina Summer Concert Series will showcase an abundance of local and regional musical acts on Sunday evenings under the red tent at Lakeshore Park.
Coldwater Concert Series
The eighth annual summer concert series at Coldwater Memorial Park Amphitheater will feature seven performances by a variety of musical talents.
Th
Fort Recovery Concert Series
FORT RECOVERY - Now in its 34th year, the Fort Recovery Summer Concert Series will offer audiences a wide variety of music, ranging from the country sounds of a Garth Brooks tribute band to the smooth vocals of Linda Ronstadt performed by a Columbus-based group.
St. Henry Concert Series
ST. HENRY - Music lovers attending the St. Henry Summer Concert Series should bring their appetites with them to many of the events as food trucks will be serving a variety of tasty foods at the Freedom Amphitheater in South Park.
New Bremen Concert Series
NEW BREMEN - This year's New Bremen Summer Concert Series will bring the sounds of veteran musicians to the Crown Pavilion on the banks of the Miami-Erie Canal.
Minster Concert Series
MINSTER - Music enthusiasts attending this summer's Minster Summer Concert Series will hear tunes made famous by several icons in the entertainment industry.
Recreation Guide
Trails
Franklin Township Greenway Trail is a flat and paved pathway stretching from The Spiritual Center Retreat House to Strasburg Nature Park on
Grand Lake Mariners
College baseball players will again gather in Celina for a season of Grand Lake Mariners baseball.
Since 1990, the Mariners have played in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, a wood-bat league for players looking to hone their skills.
Grand Lake Golf Guide
Below is a selection of public golf courses for the most dedicated athletes.
Arrowhead Park Golf Course
Directions: Take Ohio 66 south out of S
Grand Lake Area Lodging
As the weather warms up, people will have many lodging options to choose from when visiting the Grand Lake area.
A variety of hotels, motels, inns and campgrounds are available for those spending time in Mercer and Auglaize counties this summer and fall.
Mercer Health 5K Challenge
The Mercer Health 5K Challenge returns for the 21st year of five-kilometer (3.1-mile) road races around the county.
At each event, age divisions f
Farmers markets
Celina Farmers' Market
Mercer County Fairgrounds
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon
In 2024, over 60 registered vendors sold homegrown, home-prepared & handc
Sites to visit
The Grand Lake region's bountiful list of sites to see rivals the excitement of its namesake's expansive waters. From a Bigfoot sculpture to a variety of informative museums, visitors will have no shortage of items for their trip itineraries. Below is a roundup of notable sites in the area.
Around the region
Celtic Heritage Festival
May 24-25
Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, Piqua
The Celtic Heritage Festival returns for its second year. Set against the
CELINA - The Mercer County District Library announced Friday the upcoming conclusion of its COVID-19 test kit distribution program, following recent changes from the Ohio Department of Health.
COLUMBUS - State Rep. Angie King, R-Celina, provided sponsor testimony in the House Finance Committee May 20 on the Save Our Schools Act, formerly kn
PIQUA - The Piqua Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a serious injury
traffic crash that occurred just after midnight Friday mor
Minster defeats Lincolnview to advance to regionals
WAPAKONETA - Minster softball coach Kenleigh Ludlow called her team's March 27 game against Lincolnview "information gathering."
The gathering paid off well.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The Midwest Athletic Conference had a dominating day as the Division III district track and field meet wrapped up at Moeller Track in Spencerville.
