Milan Melon Festival 2008

Sam & Dayna are coming over for dinner tonight (Labor Day) and Michelle gently suggested that I refrain from talking about my food festival research; I think she fears that, after three years of researching the SAME THING, I'm quickly becoming a one-trick pony. So, I'm only posting a few of my favorite pics from our trip to Thomas Alva Edison's boyhood home in the Connecticut Western Reserve village of Milan, Ohio with short captions, not a drawn out discussion. I hope you enjoy the 50^th year of Milan Melon Festival, I did.

http://www.milanmelonfestival.org/index.html

Toft's Dairy in Sandusky produces some of the best ice cream I have eaten in the USA (yes, I also love Cincinnati's Graeter's http://www.graeters.com/) and churns two PREMIUM flavors exclusively for the Milan Melon Festival: muskmelon and watermelon ice cream. The Edison High Athletic Boosters offer both flavors in cups or cones, but many people come out for a half of a locally grown Milan Melon with their choice of Toft's vanilla, muskmelon, of watermelon in it:

Festival-goers seated around the American Civil War monument enjoying hand-scooped Toft's Ice Cream in a half muskmelon grown by David Weilnau:

Weilnau (back to the camera) helping a customer choose a melon:
The Edison Cheerleaders have exclusive rights to sell muskmelon soft serve and Jessica et. all finds it delicious:The festival typically draws 150,000 to 200,000 festival-goers to this village of under 1500 residents.

More food. Emily has that don't-even-think-about-asking-for-a-taste-of-my-fried-Swiss-cheese look in her eye. Jessica and her ear of Edison Music Boosters' butter-drippin' corn:
Shredded chicken sandwich from the Milan Friends Church Youth Group. A NW Ohio staple:

Potato Pancakes from one of the regional vendors:
Jess with her jumbo onion rings from another regional vendor: