Pictured are Lucas Hunter and the Blue Grass Boys at the Meigs Heritage Festival.
Dan Will
Meigs County Treasure Hunt Winners 15 and under age group are pictured, from left, CSHA Hunt organizer Greg Bailey, 1st Place, Broghan Short, 2nd Place, Stanley Viny, and CSHA Hunt organizer Jim Smith.
Becky Grate
Meigs County Treasure Hunt Winners, age 16 and over are pictured, from left, CSHA Hunt organizer Greg Bailey, 2nd Place, Gina Tillis, 1st Place, Tahnee Andrew, 3rd Place, Rose Andrew, and CSHA Hunt organizer Jim Smith.
Becky Grate
Pictured are Meigs Finest Winners Maxine Griffith and Don Mora.
Becky Grate
Pie Eating Contest Winners: 1st Place Gabby Shain, 2nd Place Lacey Miller.
Becky Grate
A view from above the Meigs Heritage Festival.
Becky Grate Courtesy
Pictured is a replica of the old Meigs County Courthouse with the real deal in the background.
Becky Grate Courtesy
CHESTER, Ohio – A beautiful fall day greeted visitors to the 2021 Meigs Heritage Festival in Chester last Saturday. As guests strolled through the exhibits and adjacent car show, bluegrass music wafted across the Commons with the Old Meigs County Courthouse and Academy as a backdrop
The day’s activities included the crowning of Meigs Finest, an honor awarded to the oldest man and woman in attendance willing to share their age. Maxine Griffith 97, and Don Mora, 94 were this year’s recipients.
Treasure hunters presented their photographs to Meigs County Treasure Hunt Chairmen Greg Baily and James Smith for review. The contest challenged participants in two age categories to locate 14 pre-selected historical sites in the county and have their picture taken with the object. Some of the locations were easy to find, and others quite challenging, and included grave markers, historic markers, and the Elm Tree plaque in Racine.
Brogan Short was awarded 1st Place in the 15 and under age group, with 2nd Place going to Stanley Viny. Treasure Hunt winners age 16 and over included 1st Place Tahnee Andrew, 2nd Place, Gina Tillis, and 3rd Place, Rose Andrew.
Both Bailey and Smith said the goal of the contest is to encourage interest in local history with a hands-on approach. The sites chosen for the contest are available on the Chester Shade Historical Society’s Facebook page.
“Fall is a great time to take a drive through the county and locate the sites, even if the contest is over,” said Smith. “It is a different way of learning about some local history you might not know about, and it can be lots of fun.”
Pie lovers enjoyed the pie eating contest, with Gabby Shain coming in first, and Lacey Miller second.
The festival welcomed local band “Lucas Hunter and the Blue Grass Boys”, who played on the Commons during the morning’s activities.
The Car Show, always a big part of the Festival, had 67 registrations-results and photographs will follow in a separate story.
Organizers said they were pleased to have the festival return after it’s cancellation in 2019, and plan to continue developing the event as a showcase for not only the Courthouse and Academy, but for all of Meigs County history.
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Lorna Hart is a freelance writer for Ohio Valley Publishing.
