Heritage Village hosting special guests for bicentennial

The Heritage Village portion of Tiffin-Seneca Heritage Festival will welcome special guests Gov. Edward Tiffin and William Harvey Gibson in honor of the Tiffin 200 bicentennial celebration. Reenactors will portray the two people important to Tiffin's history in addition to the traditional lineup of Abraham Lincoln, early settlers, Civil War reenactors and others. In addition, this year features an exhibit of Seneca County Historical Society's Tiffin history boards. Attending on school day Friday will be a reenactor portraying Gov. Charles Foster as well when fourth-graders from Seneca County schools descend on the village on Friday for the annual historical field trip. The village is open to the public 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Seneca Crawford Area Transportation is providing free shuttle service between downtown and the park from the village entrance across from the YMCA. Entry to the village is $3 per person with ages 11 and younger free. New entertainment this year includes strolling magician Greg Carson on Saturday and Eric Baker juggling on stilts Sunday as well as Civil War-era musicians Steve and Lisa Ball, who plan to perform at their campsite. Doc Allen returns to the Folk Stage with his Old Tyme Medicine Show several times each day, and Lake Plains Barbershop Chorus will be on the Folk Stage Sunday. Returning performers on the Lions Main Stage include Root Cellar, Toraigh, Jolly Gabbers Band, Twisted Strands and Hand Hewn. The ever-popular candy cannon will be fired twice each day. Kids also can "play pioneer" around the cabin or the schoolhouse, build with Lincoln Logs and take part in other free children's activities. Equipment will be available free for Games on the Green such as stilts, hoops, quoits, corn darts and bocce. Kids also can pan for gems for a fee. Visitors can walk through camps of early settlers and military personnel to find out what life was like when Tiffin was founded in 1822, and then change time periods to visit the Civil War area of the 1860s. Cannons are to be fired on the hour. The whole family can enjoy lunch or a snack of barbecue sandwiches, kettle corn, root beer and similar items. Everyone can watch vintage baseball. A double-header is planned at noon and 2 p.m. Sunday between the Great Black Swamp Frogs and the Whiskey Island Shamrocks. They also can shop for vintage and early American arts and crafts, and they can listen for news and announcements from the town crier. The festival committee reminds festival-goers that there is limited handicap parking available near the village, and no dogs are allowed, except service dogs. Also, no bicycles or other vehicles are allowed in the village during the hours its open to visitors.