BY NIKKI BURKHAMER
Examiner Contributor
Mac-A-Cheek Castle was bustling with activity at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6. It was West Liberty Day during Logan County Tourism Week, and families were found roaming all over the castle property playing games from older days, building toy castles, and taking in the beautiful scenery.
Being one of the tourism week stops helped to start their day out as a success for the Piatt family’s old home and business.
“Well, every day is tourism day here, and we love tourists, we love people who come from near and far, and they always bring with them stories of other places and their insights and their observations of here,” Margaret Piatt said, taking a moment to step away from the crowd of people who were enjoying the event.
“And so, this is a day to especially focus on our county and the many things that we have here. It’s hard to take time off to go to the things near where you live. We want them to enjoy this day, but then we want them to tell other people they know. I say, tourism starts at home and then tell somebody else.”
Anna Louden, Logan County Visitors Bureau director, helped to coordinate with local attractions to plan for the fourth annual Logan County Tourism Week.
“It’s always a great feeling when you see people coming to enjoy where you live and the great attractions we have here. So, it’s fun to see people explore things that have been here forever, but they didn’t even know, existed,” Anna said.
“We try to feature all of the great things there are to do in Logan County, because the people that live here sometimes forget about all of the things we have to offer, so the event is geared towards visitors and people who live locally in Logan County too.
“We’ve showcased all of our great attractions and things to do… family, friends, anybody is welcome, and it’s been a great turnout so far.”
Ohio Caverns had a busy day Wednesday as well. Many families were ready to cash in their Logan County passport coupons to dig around for colorful treasure. Children were able to take their bags of mining rough to the running-water that is part of the gem-mining sluice in order to retrieve vibrant rocks, crystals, minerals, fossils, geodes or arrowheads.
“I’m looking for the blue rocks,” Carson Kimball, a soon-to-be West Liberty Salem third grader said with a wide smile.
“I am going to go treasure hunting,” Zayleigh Beale said excitedly.
Ohio Caverns employee Kate Phipps thinks that focusing on Logan County Tourism is “a great idea. I heard one customer tell me that they did this last year and they couldn’t wait to do it next year again. So, that’s nice to hear.”
Lunch was on the splash pad volunteers during Logan County Tourism’s West Liberty Day. Cindee Boyd had a troop of helpers that assisted to provide the lunches for the attending families at the splash pad, located at Lions Park.
Included was a hotdog, cookie, ice pop and water. While supplies lasted, beach balls were given out to enhance the day’s fun. A coloring contest and, of course, lots of splashing and watery shenanigans were afoot during their two-hour family event.
Boyd, the West Liberty Village clerk and the splash pad organizer, shared, “We built a splash pad in 2020, so we opened it up in June of that year, and we have raised a lot of money to build this for the community.”
Piatt Castle Mac-A-Cheek is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Labor Day. Then, through the end of October, they are only open on weekends, but tours can still be scheduled by appointment.
“We have many free events. There’s one coming up, which is the West Central Ohio Community Concert Band, and that’s just really a delight. It’s on Sunday, Aug. 17,” Piatt offered.
On the last Saturday in October, the castle will offer a Halloween program, which is called ‘Autumn Games and Halloween Customs.’
“It is really fun,” Piatt explained. “We play all kinds of games that were popular in the 19th century. We set it up by our cornfield, so it’s really got that kind of seasonal feel to it.
“We have a bonfire at the end of it, and we tell some kind of story that should spook you. It’s very interactive. It works well for all ages, yet it is probably the best for third-grade and up, but it’s for grown-ups too. We wear costumes, and we encourage people to wear costumes as well.”
Margaret also explained that there will be even more new programs next year because they were a recipient of an America 250 Grant. The grant encourages the exploration of all kinds of topics related to Ohio history. They will be developing new tours, new exhibits and new free events.
“So, people should be paying attention to our website, because there’ll be more and more information as the next year unfolds,” she encouraged.
For more information go to https://piattcastle.org/.
Logan County Tourism Week activities conclude today. Here’s a look at today’s schedule for Saturday, Aug. 9:
• 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m.: Wacky Boat Races at Lakeview Harbor (sign up with Downtown Lakeview);
• 5 p.m. Hot Summer Nights Cruise-In – Downtown Bellefontaine;
• 6–8 p.m. Behind-the-Scenes Tour at Holland Theatre; and
• 4 p.m. (doors) 7 p.m.: Cruise-In Concert with Alana Springsteen at The Syndicate (ticketed).
For a full schedule of events and to download your passport, visit https://www.experiencelogancounty.com/tourismweek.
