Have you ever watched an old movie where the soldiers come home from the war on the train? Those romantic movies were filled with emotion, love, USO dances and battles in the trenches and bunkers. Those days are reenacted in Dennison, Ohio at its unique American Soldiers Homecoming Festival held August 7-9.
This festival is fun for everyone. If you have a memory of WWII you will defiantly enjoy the event.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will be open to the public, the Ohio Flags of Honor will be on display, visit the canteen for free cookies and coffee and food and souvenir vendors will surround the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower will speak at the battlefield and there will be WWII skirmishes, WWII trenches and bunkers, battle fields, youth battle games. roundtables and speakers, living history displays and a USO dance. On Saturday there will be a ticker tape parade to welcome home the veterans and more.
Dennison, a village of about 3,000 people is just an hour’s ride from Akron and the area is known for its history. It is located 100 miles from Columbus and 100 miles from Pittsburgh which made it the perfect place for locomotives to stop for water. Railroad history is abundant in this village as it was once the largest area for railroad shops and yards for the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway.
During WW I, the Red Cross operated a canteen from a boxcar. Canteen volunteers prepared coffee and sandwiches for troops traveling through by train and it reopened during WW II. Evidence of the railroads heyday is seen at the Railroad Depot Museum, restaurant and gift shop. It hosts special events and exhibits year round as well as WWII memorabilia and Americana. Kids love using binoculars and watching the trains in the model train room. There is even a scavenger hunt for the children to follow in the building. (the museum is closed on Mondays).
There are five railroad coaches attached to the building. They include: The Children’s Interactive Railroad Experience Car, the Archival Research Library, the rare WWII Hospital Car, a special Feature Exhibit Car, and a Local History Car. The Keystone Theater is also opened to the public.
Explore the historic district and if you visit on a summer Friday evening enjoy a free concert at the gazebo.
Take a break from the history and visit the nearby Uhrichsville Water Park. The park is over 18,000 square feet and includes a water playground with swings, sliding boards for young children in the pool. There are raft slides, twisting body slides and much more and it is located at 401 East 12 Street, Uhrichsville, 44683, call 740-922-8780. The Dennison Railroad Depot Museum is located at 400 Center St., Dennison, 44621, call 877-278-8020 or visit www.dennisondepot.org. There is a pass available for all the American Soldiers Homecoming Festival that includes all activities. Veterans are free, adults $10, seniors $8 and kids $5.
Dennison is located south on I-77 take US 250 east at exit 81, join US 250 and Oh 800 toward Cadiz-Dennison and take ramp toward Dennison. If you want to make points with the ladies while visiting Dennison take a side trip to Cadiz, to visit the birth home of Clark Gable visit www.clarkgablefoundation.com for more information.
