×

Village confirms dates for Johnny Appleseed Fest

The village of Lisbon is one step closer to welcoming back the Johnny Appleseed Festival after last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Village council on Tuesday voted unanimously to confirm the proposed dates of Sept. 18 and 19 by the Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce for the festival.

“It’ll be a welcome thing to downtown provided we can do it,” said council president Dawn Thomas.

In a letter to Mayor Peter Wilson and village council, executive director of the Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce Marilyn McCullough asked for permission to hold the event downtown as usual.

“At this time, the Lisbon Chamber is moving cautiously forward with hosting the Johnny Appleseed Festival … We know that Governor DeWine has to lift the crowd mandates, but we are hopeful that will happen this summer,” McCullough wrote.

In other business, the village has now been designated as a trail town for the North Country Scenic Trail. The trail is more than 4,600 miles long and runs from New York to North Dakota with a stop in Lisbon on the way.

Wilson said he hopes the designation brings more visitors to the village from the trail, and said he believes the designation comes at a time when more people than ever are hiking and using the trail.

Along with the designation, council also learned the village received a $5,000 grant from the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association to put toward hiring a consultant to help the village better integrate the Greenway Trail into downtown Lisbon. Wilson said the trail brings thousands of visitors to the area, but many of them don’t get to experience the heart of Lisbon.

“Many of them, they never come to downtown, they don’t eat at our restaurants, and they don’t come into our shops. A consultant will help us better mesh the village with the trail,” Wilson said. The Greenway Trail will be extending to East Liverpool, which Wilson said will bring even more tourists to the area, which makes the hiring of a consultant even more important for the village.

In other new business, council approved the hiring of Justin McCoy as a part-time police officer.

lnickel@mojonews.com

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today