August 2 - Family Fun Fair
August 2 (Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Oberlin's long-time summer tradition of Family Fun Fair takes place Saturday, August 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free activities designed for families with young children throughout downtown and on the grounds of the Oberlin Heritage Center. Try your hand at old-fashioned games on the lawn at the Little Red Schoolhouse, or step back in time and explore the first floor of the 1866 Monroe House on a self-guided tour.
Pick up a copy of the Heritage Center's new oral history publication Bonnets to Boardrooms: Women's Stories from a Historic College Town and have it signed by the author, Eugenia (Geni) Poporad Vanek, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. The book can be purchased at www.oberlinheritagecenter.org or in person at the Heritage Center's Museum Store; all OHC members receive a 10% discount. Bonnets to Boardrooms has been called "a treasure trove of strong voices and intriguing details" by best-selling author Tracy Chevalier (The Last Runaway).
Don't miss the delightful mini-replica of the Little Red Schoolhouse on the OHC grounds, which is one of Lorain County's newest Little Free Library locations. The Little Free Library initiative offers a "take a book, return a book" gathering place where neighbors can share their favorite literature and stories.
During the community's Family Fun Fair, the Heritage Center also will host its regular Saturday morning Freedom's Friends (Underground Railroad) History Walk at 11:00 a.m. The Scholars & Settlers (Tappan Square) History Walk will be offered the following day, Sunday, August 3, at 1 p.m. These guided tours feature different themes in Oberlin history as visitors wind their way through and around downtown Oberlin. Tickets for either walk must be purchased in advance through the Heritage Center's website (www.oberlinheritagecenter.org) or at the Monroe House's Museum Store (73½ South Professor Street) for $6 per adult. The tour is free for Oberlin Heritage Center members, current college students with ID and children. The tour is most likely enjoyed by those 9 years of age and up.
Rounding out the Heritage Center's Saturday Fun Fair activities at 3 p.m. is the I Spy Oberlin: History & Architecture Scavenger Hunt designed for children ages 5-11 with an accompanying adult. Advance reservations are required and the fee is $3 per child (adult companions are free). This fun and engaging guided tour leads families through historic Oberlin with eyes peeled for historic markers, decorative details, and Oberlin oddities. The "hunt" begins at the Monroe House (at the back of the Conservatory parking lot across from the Kohl Jazz Building). We'll walk about outside in fair weather and "spy" inside the Heritage Center's historic buildings if raining.
