The Great Trail Festival is held every year, during the summer months, at Malvern, Ohio, USA. The festival follows the pioneers, mountain men, Indians and others who blazed the trails throughout the old west and beyond.

Back around the early to mid 1800s, mountain men, fur trappers and explorers attended huge gatherings held every year on the prairie. At these gatherings, the people met with others just like themselves. they had a chance to trade with the Indians and businessmen and could get supplies and tools, have their rifles repaired, buy new guns, learn some needed information and get the news since they had been living off the land and had not seen anyone for months on end. Plus, they got the chance to sell the furs and hides they had harvested all year. These get-togethers lasted about a week at a time. Then the men would go back to the wilderness for another year. At the gatherings there were much celebrating, dancing and laughing and a heck of a lot of drinking which was probably why there was so much celebrating, dancing and laughing. I would think that the men returned to the woods with a good sized hangover.

My wife and I have attended several of the festivals (the ones today. Not the ones 150 years ago), and always have a good time while there. The grounds are made up of tents, teepees, cabins and pastures. There are re-enactments of famous battles from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc.

There are vendors selling everything from food and drink to flintlock rifles and Native American jewelry. Antique items are also sold at some of the booths. A lot of the folks there pitch campsites for the weekend in the style of the old, original mountain men and trappers and it gives the visitors a vision of how these historic people lived. Once in a while, you may spot a mountain man on his cell phone or a pioneer woman complete from her bonnet to her Michael Jordan snickers. (I had no idea they had stuff like that 150 years ago). I even saw a fur trapper wearing a t-shirt which read, "Guns Don't Kill People, Unless You Mess With my Stash!"

There are shooting contests held, live music performed and even bagpipes. The thing that surprised me the most was that the vendor's prices were pretty reasonable. The grounds involve a lot of walking however and wheelchairs may be a small problem as the trails are a bit uneven. But, all-in-all, it's a really fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday...or both!

If you get a chance and live around Ohio or will be visiting during the time of the festival, and if you are even slightly interested in the pioneering days, you'll have fun here. The trails are well laid out and once you begin, it follows around for a few hours and you end up right back where you started. So getting lost is, pretty much, avoidable.

There's lots of parking for your covered wagon, buggy, SUV or motor home. The trails are also mostly under the shade of trees. So even on hot days it's pleasant.

So, check it out and see what you think. And while your there, Tell Butch the Buffalo I said Hi!