A little rain cant conquer the annual Berlin Harvest Fest
By Dave Mast
September 21, 2015
665
The rains came down from the heavens, the aroma of sweet and zesty ribs went up into the atmosphere, and ultimately, the smells and tastes of Berlin Harvest Festival conquered Mother Nature.
A long and steady rain on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Berlin was unable to deter the public from inundating Berlin for the annual Berlin Harvest Fest.
Outside of Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant, Emanuel and Roman Yoder were busy filling the air with some wonderful aromas.
They, too, said business was brisk despite the raindrops that fell on the heads of anyone else who was not fortunate enough to have an umbrella or rain slicker.
We have had a lot of return customers from last year, people who came and bought, and they are buying in half and full racks, not just the samplers, Emanuel Yoder said. The rain hasnt stopped people from coming out, and we are about to sell out soon.
Yoder was correct in that belief, as Boyd & Wurthmann sold out of its 100 racks by early afternoon.
They were not alone.
Several rib cook-off competitors sold out because they felt the rainy weather might slow down traffic, therefore vendors made fewer racks.
But the streets were jammed with visitors wanting to get their hands on the tangy, zesty ribs. In addition, there were a number of other edibles that Holmes County is well known for, like noodles, baked goods and Amish Country Donuts, which had a lengthy line of people awaiting their chance to sink their teeth into the giant pastry products.
Rib vendor Brad Bogner, owner of Bogeys Smokin BBQ out of Clyde, Ohio, was pleased with the turnout despite the rain. Bogner and his crew have been coming to Berlin Harvest Fest for a number of years, and have seen bad weather bite them before. We were very pleased with the turnout this year, Bogner said. Its all about ribs up and down Main Street, and that smell can cut through any rain.
Bogner was at the festival when it was just five vendors competing, so to see that number more than double is an exciting thing for him and the other vendors. I dont mind competing against as many vendors as they can bring in, since it only helps make this event bigger and better, Bogner said.
Bogner didnt have to worry about someone else beating him to the honor of best ribs on this day, as six area judges voted Bogeys the Judges Choice victor based on a number of criteria like taste, texture, flavor and sauce. The ribs were all numbered and judges didnt know whose ribs they were trying.
For the first time there was a tie for second place between Byler BBQ of Berlin and After Hours, from Orrville.
Tyler Miller of Swissters was voted as the Peoples Choice winner, a contest in which the public can have a say who wins by donating to their favorite.
Jennifer Rangel, Harvest Fest committee member, said the total of 13 vendors was exciting to have for the event.
The festival would have had more, but vendors are busy this time of year with events. Smokin Joes (Mansfield) was supposed to be here, but at the last second he was invited to a big show in Las Vegas, said Rangel. And we had two more competitors who unfortunately had other obligations crop up. Overall it was a very successful day.
In addition to the food, there was plenty of live entertainment taking place under the canopy on the Stage on the Square, and the annual parade saw a nice turnout despite the rain.
We had a really good turnout, with more than 80 entrants plus all of the walk-ups we had, said Shasta Mast, executive director of Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. It didnt rain hard, but we had a constant, steady drizzle the whole time. But that didnt stop everyone from having a good time.
Mast said any time a community cranks up a new festival, it takes time to promote and grow it. She noted that it is apparent that the Berlin Harvest Fest committee has done an excellent job taking care of the event. They have developed and improved this festival over the years, and now it is something that people both local and out of town plan on attending, Mast said.
Jack and Tam Rostas of Springfield, Illinois, were good proof of Masts comment. They visited the area and were planning to leave the morning of the festival, but passed the vendors and decided to take a look.
The couple went away with an armful of food boxes containing ribs, nachos and Amish Country Donuts.
The Rostas said they had never been to the area before, but the hospitality was more than enough to bring them back again. I think the community in general is fun, and everyone is incredibly nice, Jack Rostas said. I think this could become a regular thing for us in the future.
