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2005 Rarden Whitetail Deer Festival

The 4th Annual Rarden Whitetail Festival was the held the weekend of September 23, 24 & 25, this festival gets bigger and better ever year and this year DeerOhio.Com was there. We had a great time and would like to thank every one who stopped by our booth.

If you have never been to this festival it's worth the trip. There is something for everyone. The stage, pictured right, was the source of great music all weekend long with performances by Country Live Performers, Stone Country Band, Poverty String Band, Jonnie Law Band, Uptown Blue Grass, Country Hurricane and many others.  There was also live demonstrations by Raptor Inc. and N.O.A.H.

Offstage events included  the Hank Peters Lumberjack Show  and the Mountainman Show with Roger Dillard and the Frontier Family. In addition to all this entertainment there were competitions for everyone to enter. For the non-hunters there was a cornhole tournament and a three on three basket ball tournament. For the hunters and marksmen there were Archery, Muzzleloader and Shotgun competitions for all ages.

Let's not forget the vendors, exhibitors, the craft booths and the food. Let me tell you, this was our first time setting up at a festival and it was great. I had three days to try all the food. I didn't make it. Maybe if they add a couple days to the festival.

Crafts booths were everywhere, two of my favorites were a gentleman who carved everything from churches and Christmas trees to jack-o- lanterns out of logs with a chainsaw and a lady who carved beautiful picture on  dyed eggs. Vendors include everything from national brands like Longaberger Baskets and Copenhagen Smokeless Tobacco to home canned hot relishes.

There were hunting vendors selling gear, clothes and DVDs of Ohio whitetail hunts. Several taxidermist attended displaying and demonstrating their craft. There were activities for kids like mining for gold, a live animal display and a Shoot The Deer Paintball Challenge. pictured left

There were 50/50 cash boards through out the weekend with the proceeds going to improve the festival next year. Many of the vendors had raffles or gave away free items at their booth's.

DeerOhio.Com was there introducing our website and selling our logo wear. If you missed the festival you can purchase our logo wear by clicking on the Store button, above left We gave away a 20x30 framed deer print valued at $185.00. I took the picture in 2004 just out side the entrance to Mount Rushmore National Park. I would like to thank everyone who commented on the photo and to those who registered to win it. Congratulations to The winner of the print  Sam Nickles of McDermott, Ohio.

The festival concluded Sunday afternoon with a parade that was very enjoyable. For more on this great festival visit their website at www.rardendeerfest.com I have posted more pictures from the festival and the parade below. You can click on the pictures to see a larger view.  Like I said before, we had a great time and I'm looking forward to going back next year. We hope to see you there so be sure to stop by the booth and say hello.