Beavercreek Popcorn Festival

Checking out the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival

When I was a kid, I only knew one kind of popcorn – the regular salty one. And then I moved to the United States of America. Caramel popcorn, cinnamon popcorn, cheddar popcorn, chocolate drizzled popcorn, and so on. I am aware how gross they sound, but all these different popcorn kinds are actually pretty delicious. And you can even buy them in grocery stores!

One day, I was reading a local newspaper and came across an event advertisement. You guessed right - the advertisement was for the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival. And as soon as I saw it, I called two of my friends and invited them to join me on the first day of the festival. I am glad we went - we had a blast despite the uncomfortably hot day.

From the parking lot, you can easily see where everything is happening - just follow other people!

Where and when does the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival happen?

The Beavercreek Popcorn Festival happens every year the weekend after Labor day. This year, it will be held on 8th and 9th of September. And, just like the name suggests, the event is happening in Beavercreek, which is situated just a fifteen minute drive away from Dayton, Ohio.

To get there from Dayton, drive towards Xenia and take the exit at Dayton – Xenia road. From there, you will see the signs that will direct you to parking lots, and from the parking lot, the popcorn festival is just a short walk away.

How about parking? Yes, parking at festivals can be a hassle, but the process at the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival was pretty simple. Oh, and cheap. There are several designated parking lots, and the parking attendants will direct you to the one that still has available parking spots. Last year, the cost of parking was five dollars for the whole day, which is pretty cheap. Well, at least for the United states of America.

What can you do there?

Eat popcorn, of course! There are more popcorn flavours at Beavercreek Popcorn Festival that you can possibly try in one day, but hey, you can at least try. Most popcorn vendors will happily let you sample a few pieces of popcorn, and they might throw some extra popcorn pieces in your bag for free if you actually buy something.

See all the different colours of popcorn? Those are all different flavours!

I was amazed how many flavours there were. Other than the ones that I mentioned at the beginning of this article, these were the ones that I tried. The first one was the most unusual - bacon flavoured popcorn. It actually tasted more like bacon than actual popcorn, and I loved it. Then, there was jalapeno flavoured popcorn. I love spicy food, so I just had to try it. It did not really taste like jalapeno, but it had that spicy kick at the end. Then, there was Oreo popcorn. I never thought that popcorn could taste sweet and still be delicious. Well, that probably comes from my childhood, when I was so used to eating salted popcorn that I did not pay any attention to other possible flavours.

Also, parmesan garlic popcorn should not be skipped. The stall that was selling it, was giving out recipes to make it at home! I tried, and, while pretty good, it was not nearly as delicious as the one they were selling. They were probably using a secret ingredient. Raspberry popcorn was another mind blowing popcorn flavour that several stands were selling. It tasted just like crunchy raspberries. Enough said. And, last but not least, margarita popcorn. It was unfortunately non – alcoholic, but I thought that it resembled the authentic margarita flavour pretty well.

As you can see on this picture, people around here love the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival. This was an incredibly hot day – the temperature was almost 40C, and the place was packed!

Other than sampling different popcorn flavours, you can also admire other food stands, and stands that sell local crafts, other foods, and even Halloween decoration. Americans are somehow obsessed with Halloween, and they start decorating the houses super early, and this is why you will find Halloween decorations at the Popcorn Festival, which is happening in September!

Do yourself a favour and buy the homemade maple syrup. It is quite pricey – twenty dollars for a 250 ml bottle, but it is delicious. And it lasts quite a while. I bought it and I put it on pancakes and waffles – tasted like heaven!

Food that I recommend you to try, other than different types of popcorn, is lamb gyros and root beer float. I am sure you all know what gyros are, but root beer float is a very American thing and I had no idea such a thing exists before moving to the United States of America. First of all, I have never seen root beer in Europe. Root beer is a non – alcoholic beer that kids like more than adults do. And a root beer float is simply a root beer in a cup, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the bottom. It is actually very delicious and refreshing.

I wish I could try more foods at the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, but unfortunately, my stomach has limited capacity.

Last year, they also offered face painting for five dollars, but it was more targeted towards little kids. And some of the stands were political, like the one on the picture above. Some stands were also handing out free stuff, such as ChapSticks or pens.

Prices

You can expect typical festival prices at Beavercreek Popcorn Festival – more expensive that things in your local grocery store, but still cheap enough not to feel bad about buying it. For example, a big bag of popcorn only costs five dollars. Food prices depend on the stall, but I have not seen a food item that would cost more than ten dollars. And if you want to save money on food, you can always eat at home, before going to the festival.

A few words for the end…

Beavercreek Popcorn Festival was definitely one of the most interesting events I have been to. While it sounds crazy, and it happens in summer with burning hot temperatures, I have to encourage you to check it out if you are ever in Dayton, Ohio when it is happening. I loved it!

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