Mums are everywhere at the 2023 Tipp City Mum Festival. This year’s festival themed “Tippecanoe and a Mum Fest Too” takes place Sept. 27-29 in Tipp City.
Sheryl Roadcap | Miami Valley Today
By Eamon Baird
TIPP CITY — The 65th annual Tipp City Mum Festival returns with events for the whole family to enjoy.
This year’s theme is “Tippecanoe and a Mum Fest Too.”
“As we celebrate our 65th year, the Mum Festival continues to be a beacon of community spirit and tradition,” said Bill House, president of this year’s festival in a news release. “This year’s theme, ‘Tippecanoe and Mum Fest Too’ pays homage to our city’s rich history and connection to William Henry Harrison.”
According to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Tipp City was founded by John Clark in 1840, the year William Henry Harrison was campaigning for the presidency using the slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too.” Clark was a great admirer of Harrison, so he adopted the name Tippecanoe for the city, which was later changed to Tipp City in 1938 due to it being confused with another town in Ohio with the name Tippecanoe.
Kathy Taylor serves as vice president for this year’s Mum Fest. She talked about what people can expect at this year’s festival.
“It’s a family-oriented festival,” she said. “We have games, different things for people to eat, and a little of everything. If you can’t find it here it probably doesn’t exist.”
The festival starts with the Annual Mum Festival Cruise-In on Friday at 4 p.m. The cruise-in will feature hundreds of classic and muscle cars from almost every automobile era. The cruise-in will be downtown from First Street to Hyatt Street. Food trucks, sidewalk vendors, and Tipp City’s restaurants will be available for festival-goers.
Taylor said usually between 800 and 900 classic cars line the streets of downtown, and that they will start parking at 4 a.m.
Saturday’s festivities will start with the 43rd Annual Run for the Mums, sponsored by Tipp Monroe Community Services. Run for the Mums is a flat terrain 5K race that begins at 8 a.m. in the city park, and the Tipp City Mum Festival and Tipp Monroe Community Services will have multiple prizes and raffles at the finish line.
The Mum Festival Parade is on Saturday at 10 a.m., and Boy Scout Troop 586 will paint mums on sidewalks and driveways for $15.
There will be over 250 vendor booths, and a marketplace offering various crafts, treats, and unique finds. From handmade goods to local specialties, there’s something to pique everyone’s curiosity and delight. Festival vendors will be open on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Taylor said one of her favorite events is the Junior Run for the Mums, which takes place at the Tipp City Football Field on Sunday at 3 p.m. and is sponsored by Tipp-Monroe Optimists with support from the THS Octagon Club and Tipp-Monroe Community Services
“The kids have so much fun and love to watch how hard they’re trying to win,” she said.
Taylor thanked all of the sponsors who make the festival possible.
“All of the sponsors are vital to us,” she said.
“We’re always looking for volunteers,” Taylor said. “Working the Mum Fest is a lot of fun but also a lot of work.”
For volunteer information contact Tipp Monroe Community Services at 937-667-8631.
Taylor hopes this year’s festival is a success for residents of Tipp City as well as people visiting from out of town.
“We want them to enjoy our small town, and we want them to come here and enjoy it and come back after they visit the mom festival, come back downtown,” she said.
For more information on the mum festival including a full list of sponsors and events visit tippmumfestival.org.
