Belmont County is gearing up for an exciting summer full of events!

From annual festivals to one-of-a-kind local events, it’s officially festival season!

You and your family can enjoy attending one of our 30-plus festivals that celebrate heritage, history, our communities and of course — food! It’ll be easy to keep busy all summer long in friendly, beautiful Belmont County!

With Memorial Day being considered the unofficial kick-off to summer travel and events season, and I can tell you Belmont County has hit the ground running. This weekend alone, we have the 20th Annual National Road Yard Sale; Airport Day in Barnesville at the Bradfield Airport; Strawberry Fest in Martins Ferry; and the Barton Fire Department Hootenanny.

Next weekend, The Imperial Glass Museum Annual Convention starts on Thursday and continues throughout the weekend in Bellaire — bringing in glass enthusiasts from all over the country.

Some of the other big events I look forward to throughout the summer include:

∫ The Barton Polka Festival in August is one the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in a 60-mile radius. The crowd draws over 2,000 people from surrounding states that come each year to feast on homemade cabbage rolls and pierogies and to listen and dance to polka bands.

∫ Labor Day weekend kicks off the 174th Belmont County Fair, which brings people together to celebrate what is distinct about life in rural America.

Thousands flock to the fairground each year, for entertainment, activities, famous fair food and to see the work our youth have put into their animals, projects, and exhibits.

∫ The Barnesville Pumpkin Festival is held at the end of September featuring all things pumpkin — including the biggest ones around!

This year will celebrate the 59th festival.

Belmont County is an area rich in history and heritage, and these are just some of the events that celebrate and give our communities a strong identity.

They connect our residents and keep old traditions alive by showing off what makes our communities so unique and builds a strong sense of community pride.

To find out more about all upcoming events happening in Belmont County, go to our website at visitbelmontcounty.com/events.

If you are planning an event in 2023, contact us at info@visitbelmontcounty.com and we will add it to our website event calendar and share on our social media channels.

We are your community partner, and here to help promote all the upcoming events happening right here, in Friendly. Beautiful. Belmont County.

Each month this space will be devoted to a column written by Jackee Pugh, executive director of the Belmont County Tourism Council. She will provide information about the tourism office, local attractions, upcoming events, and other local finds in Belmont County. She will share information about the travel and tourism industry and how it impacts our local economy.