Last year I looked up what to do in Ohio, and one of the things that caught my attention was the Lilac Festival & Street Fair in Defiance, Ohio.
Lilacs are one of my favorites and it's not a normal of celebration so it's been on my calendar since I saw it.
I was lucky, and one of my friends joined my on the trip and we trekked the two hours west for the opportunity to take in the sights and scents offered.
The weather was kind. We carried around umbrellas for half the day, but we never got rained on as we wandered down a fair that was three times longer than we thought it would be. The cloud cover meant we didn't get burnt, but it was warm.
We were too late for the free lilacs, and there wasn't as much lilac product as I thought there would be, but there was cute jewelry, wood working product, and other hand-crafted products.
The local stores and business were open, including a martial arts school, who put on demonstrations, and musicians. The food trucks got rushed so much they ran out of some of their food. (GRRRR. We wanted the loaded fries and they ran out right before we ordered)
They were giving free pony rides to the kids, and there were dogs living their best lives everywhere.
And we found fun little extras along the walk including artwork the city is adding.
We loved the wall of pop culture icons and characters that fills the tiny alley halfway down the street, with the arched sign over the entry.
It took a lot longer than I thought it would to go through the fair and I couldn't be more thrilled.
My friend and I had a great time, and my haul was from local vendors and local stores. Presents for me and for friends that I even pretty boi Castor was excited to take a sniff of.
The Defiance Lilac Festival is over for the year, but we'll go back. I hope you have a chance to explore whatever festival is close to you and the amazing and interesting people and businesses doing something new. You never know when you'll find the perfect local honey, lilac candles with the power to soothe, or Pearl for $20.00.