On Saturday, September 17, downtown Ada will forget about business as usual and celebrate the 36th annual Harvest & Herb Festival. This year, 140 different vendors with 160 booths will line Main Street from Quest Federal Credit Union to Ohio Northern University. 

If you are accustomed to parking on Main Street in the wee hours of the morning, note that it will close at 6:00 a.m. and cars may be towed if left in the festival area.

Coordinated by the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, the event begins at 9 a.m. and includes:

10:00 a.m. - Parade from the Ada High School parking lot and continue down Highland Street to Main

12:00 p.m. - Royalty crowning at Depot Park; Boy Scout color guard

4:00 p.m. - Festival closes

PARADE
Chamber director Lindsay Walden notes that at least 75 units have signed up for the parade, which is organized by Junior Weihrauch and Jill Simmons.

ROYALTY CROWNING
This year three Ada High School seniors are in this year’s royalty court: Amelia Alexander,Kaitlyn Bowden and Courtney Sumner. All three contestants will receive scholarships, with the queen receiving $500. Arlene Allison leads the royalty committee, which reviews essays written by the participants and conducts interviews with them. The scholarships have been funded by a local business.

VENDORS
Festival vendors include many new and several first-time participants. Walden notes that there will be baked goods, home decor, art and plants among the many booths. The chamber will also have its own booth, where vendors can sign up for next year at a discounted rate.

FOOD
For those who come to the festival hungry, there will be six food trucks plus additional food vendors and the Lions Club food tent. Other food vendors include 302 Carry Out grill, Shafer’s Smoked Meats, Midwest BBQ, Fork in the Road and Gyro Corner. Funnel cakes, almonds and pork rinds are also on the menu.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Also on display will be cars from the Findlay Corvette Club and the Half Pint mini tank, a half-scale version of the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank built in Lima, Ohio

Walden notes that the festival is grateful for the assistance of the Village of Ada and its employees, who assist with closing Main Street and providing electricity. She also notes that the Depot parking lot will be filled with vendors this year. Good places to find parking include the municipal lot near Buckeye and Gilbert and the Ada Public Library lot. The library will be closed on Saturday.

Walden comments, “The Harvest & Herb Festival symbolizes everything I love about Ada—it’s family oriented. You see your friends out and about—all my favorite people will be out enjoying themselves.”