(bright music) (upbeat music) - [Host] On this episode of Scenic Stops and Stories... - [David] Our goal is to be the repository of all things related to Cedar Point.

- [Kat] Firefly Night 101, it is a free event downtown Bowling Green.

Everything's down here.

We've got food trucks, we've got vendors, we've got kids activities.

- [Host] We're here at the Black Swamp Arts Festival in Bowling Green, Ohio.

- [Jessica] We have three stages playing music all day.

- [Host] But first... - [Bonnie] We are at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, Ohio.

Most people in the United States, when they think of carousels think of horses.

(bright music) (keyboard clanking) - Do I have any other riders?

- We are at the Merry-Go-Round Museum in Sandusky, Ohio, and we are dedicated to the preservation and history of carousels from around the world, not just the United States.

This building, when it was completed in 1927, was technically the federal building.

The floor you look at with all the exhibit pieces on, it was United States Post Office.

On exhibit here, we currently have probably about 150 historic pieces to show off the skillsmanship of craftsmen from generations and decades ago.

Most of the pieces in here are a hundred plus years old.

Some of them have been restored, some of them are still in their original factory paint.

There are all kinds of pieces that we move in the museum throughout the years so that even though it's the same piece that you saw, you may see it in a different angle, in a different light.

So you see something different on it.

You can come in here five days in a row and see stuff different in here than you saw and go, "Why, it was in here yesterday for four hours.

How did I not notice?"

I do it all the time and they laugh at me for it so... That is a working historic 1939 Allen Herschell Machine.

It was built in North Tonawanda, New York and traveled the circuit primarily through Southern Illinois and Indiana.

Like most carousel owner operators, they discovered if you sell it piece by piece, you get more money for it than if you sell it as a whole.

So when we bought it, we were only able to buy the machine.

All the animals on it are new to that machine which works out great for us here at the museum.

So we're able to put a variety of carvers on it and show off the different styles all on one machine.

We currently have 21 historic pieces on it and nine that were actually done here at the museum.

In this museum, there are some phenomenal pieces to check out.

We have some Lillie Belle style pieces from C.W.

Parker.

The Lillies on the backside of the saddles actually have kind of look like bells with the way they're carved.

We have a Marcus Illions who thought it would be a great idea since carousel animals have hollow centers to put a light inside his piece to light up the gemstones from within.

We have a wide variety of deer or elk with actual antlers on them that show, you know, composition of different materials, sometimes work best to get the overall look you're going for.

And then most people in the United States, when they think of carousels think of horses.

We also have a fantastic collection of menagerie animals or anything that's not a horse that also came off of historic carousel machines.

The oldest piece we have in here at the moment is a Charles Dare carving that was completed sometime between 1860 and 1875, which means at its youngest it is currently 150 years old.

It is still an original paint and it's more of a unique piece than most of the pieces in here.

The difference between a carousel and a merry-go-round is technically just the word.

The word carousel is the original word.

It is a rough translation between the words carosello and garosello.

And those two words roughly translate to being little war or little battle.

And merry-go-round is a more lackadaisical, fun-loving term than war.

From my understanding, it was an original adult amusement park ride.

So when they went in and first were being operated, they were being run at about 20 miles an hour.

They have since slowed them down and made them more kid-friendly.

Most are operated between two to three miles per hour.

And then since we are the history of the machine or the carousels, we got permission to run our machine at its original speed.

So we go nine miles an hour.

So I have been here for 10 years and it is the pure joy of the public that keeps bringing me back.

This is a fantastic place to be in all day long.

It's joy and laughter.

So I mean, really, who can go wrong with happy people all day long?

- [Host] Coming up next.

- We are the Downtown Sandusky Cedar Point Historical Museum.

(bright music) (keyboard clanking) Well, welcome.

We are so happy to have you here today.

We are the Downtown Sandusky Cedar Point Historical Museum.

Our goal is to be the repository of all things related to Cedar Point.

And so we have thousands and thousands of items that are all related to Cedar Point and its history.

50 years ago, I started collecting Cedar Point postcards, and then it became Cedar Point Penance, and then it became Everything Cedar Point, and I created in my home a huge, huge Cedar Point collection.

And then as fate would have it, Cedar Point announced that they were closing their town hall museum that was located in Frontier Town.

And so I thought to myself, "I should take what I have and open a Cedar Point Museum.” Almost every day, someone is showing up at the ticket booth out in front or coming in and dropping off Cedar Point items.

One of the questions I get a lot is, you know, what are the highlights of the museum?

And that is probably the single toughest question for me to answer.

As I said, we have almost 30 different display cases now, and I have four or five or six highlights in every single display case.

We've also recently added all of the park maps from Cedar Point.

So they have those big park maps starting in 1969 through this year, and we have those on display now.

In the olden days when people came to Cedar Point, they didn't all wear the, if a company had a picnic at Cedar Point, they didn't all wear the same T-shirt like they do today.

They all got a ribbon from that company.

And we have a great number of these company ribbons, the oldest of which is from 1893.

One of the display cases is from the 1930s.

And when I was growing up in my dining room, there was a picture of my mother and my uncle.

And my mother had to be seven, eight years old, sitting on a carousel horse at Cedar Point.

And now I am very proud of the fact that that's part of our display here.

For years, when Cedar Point opened a new coaster, they gave out a medallion to the first riders.

And those medallions are very unique and became real collectors items.

And we have the medallions for every single coaster up until Sirens Curse.

But eight years ago now, they opened a coaster named ValRavn.

And the first thousand people that rode ValRavn not only got the first rider memorabilia, but they got a cookie.

And 999 people ate their cookie.

I did not.

So as part of our display, I still have that 8-year-old ValRavn cookie, which so far there's not one person out there that said, "I have that cookie."

Cedar Point continues to cooperate with us.

Last year, at the end of the season 2024, they closed a very popular water ride called Snake River Falls.

And so we were looking for a photo op that we could have here in the museum where somebody could have their picture taken with a Cedar Point memory and Cedar Point designed a big backdrop for us.

They delivered to us a boat that was formally part of the Snake River Falls ride.

They cut off the front of it and now we have it standing there and our visitors can stand behind that boat, put their arms up in the air and look like they're splashing down on that spun Snake River Falls ride that was formerly at Cedar Point.

Cedar Point's been such a part of me, it's in my heart.

It's not just a place, it's an emotion.

And so my favorite thing about this museum is just the joy.

And you can see by today, we have volunteers, and if you're a Cedar Point lover, you're welcome to volunteer to be here and share in this experience.

But we have volunteers that show up, not because they have to but because they want to, because they love sharing the stories, love hearing about the memorable events in people's lives that happen when they come in.

And so it is a true love story, not just for the people and their families, but for the people and Cedar Point.

(bright music) (upbeat music) (keyboard clanking) (bright electronic music) - [Announcer] Access granted.

(bright music) (bright electronic music) - [Announcer] Access granted.

(upbeat music) (bright electronic music) - [Announcer] Access granted.

- Tonight, you're here at Firefly Nights, Downtown Bowling Green.

(bright music) - Firefly Night 101.

It is a free event Downtown Bowling Green.

We are on Main Street.

We take up three blocks and Downtown Bowling Green, it's closed off, foot traffic.

Everything's down here.

We've got food trucks, we've got vendors, we've got kids activities.

I think it just, it really does bring a community together.

You have people downtown that maybe aren't usually coming downtown.

Our businesses stay open late.

Our restaurants are booming.

And then you also get vendors and music.

It's just a really good vibe.

So we allow any vendor that is a maker to come in, and so they have to provide something that you can leave with.

So we have just a little bit of everything.

We have craft vendors, we have earrings, we have magnets, we have 3D printed items, and then we also have like some food items.

There's honey.

There's a lot of different items.

- It's a gourmet cotton candy business.

I have 14 different flavors here with me tonight, 20 on average.

Just serving up mouthwatering deliciousness.

- I have a booth set up down here that's tropical houseplants and terrariums and we're based outta Toledo.

I grow these or get them from an Ohio supplier along with friends who grow some.

It's kind of a community effort so... Oh, it's great.

I get to hear about people's grandma's plants that they've had for a hundred years.

I get to sell them their first plant.

It's a fun full circle moment.

(bright music continues) - We align with most of what BG is doing.

We are different than most community festivals in our area though.

So if you go to any of the other surrounding towns, you usually would have to pay to either come into the event or to participate in maybe the bounce houses or the music, getting your face painted, and all of those things are free so... - It's a nice focus, right?

Like a family focus that we get to come down, see the people of the town, and interact with people we might not have seen, interact with vendors we might not know about.

And the kids get to have a good time.

It's nice and friendly.

- It's nice to see everybody out enjoying their selves socializing.

You know, it's nice that they put something like this on.

- One of my favorite things about it is it's good for all ages too.

For our young ones, some of the highlights are our bounce houses, inflatables, and our bubbles and chalk, and face painting.

- I'm Andrew Martin, world famous magician, entertainer, extraordinary.

I came from the big town of Toledo, Ohio to entertain everybody here at BG's Big Firefly.

Oh, well, I have them pick cards.

And look at the rings and I link and unlink the rings and pull cards outta my wallet with their name on it, and they're just absolutely spellbound.

- We are some stilt walkers with Glovation Entertainment.

We are here in Bowling Green for Firefly Nights, and we're stilt walking.

- Whoo!

It's so fun.

It just, kids like, they look like, they're just like, too confused, and their faces light up, and it just makes the whole night.

- You should come to Firefly Nights because it's a fun, community event.

There's food, fun, entertainment, and you don't have to pay anything to come in.

The people say that it is a fun event.

They enjoy being able to come down and being with their neighbors and they can just sit down and really enjoy BG.

The bubbles are my favorite thing because they just really make the vibe.

- Thank you.

- Bye.

(bright electronic music) - [Announcer] Access granted.

- [Host] We're here at the Black Swamp Arts Festival in Bowling Green, Ohio.

(bright music) - All the way to lining Main Street from the library on South Maine, all the way down to the post office, art.

Art, art, art, tons of it.

Art, music, food.

It's a free festival.

There are musical artists here.

We have three stages playing music all day.

There are crafts for the kids, all sorts.

It's all free.

It really truly is a combination of everyone in the area.

We have volunteers.

Students from the university come and volunteer.

- I love the community that it fosters, and so many different people that you can meet, especially for being an art education major.

I'm helping out with the youth's art tent, doing some printmaking, and I'm also working at the Student Organization Print Society booth.

We make lots of student art and we sell it all there.

- I really enjoy the kettle corn.

You can smell it a mile away.

It's amazing.

It's delicious.

And I have to say, the traditional bucket hats, you can create one yourself.

I always have to make one every year.

Ever since my daughter was little, every year we've made one and she's 18 now, so it's gonna live on forever.

No one's too old to make a bucket hat.

Year after year, we hear from people that have come to the festival, artists that come, they wanna come back because of just, the people here are just so friendly and kind.

And it's just truly a combination of community and music and art and just bringing people together to share something everyone loves.

- [Host] Still to come.

- We're at the Schumacher Homestead located in between Bluffton and Pandora.

It's a living, walking history museum that you can go anywhere, see a snapshot and time of what it was like back in 1850s.

(keyboard clanking) We're here at the Schumacher homestead located in between Bluffton and Pandora.

It's right around probably six or seven acres.

Peter and Elizabeth Schumacher built this homestead.

The building that we're in currently is the house that was put up in 1843, would be the kind of the east side of the property.

The next building to the west would be the Heritage Center that's not yet completed, but will be here before the end of the year.

And then the last building to the far west would be the original barn that got put up in 1854.

And then the summer kitchen actually was restored back in 2004.

It's not the original structure.

Unfortunately, we had to replace the whole thing, but it is a mock up of the exact same thing that was there at the time.

This would've been normally where they would've cooked in the winter time and not summer when it wasn't really warm out.

Probably wouldn't have ate a whole bunch of meals, a lot of prep work involved in here.

Van's gonna be over there cooking something similar to what they would've had in the timeframe back in the 1800's on a daily basis.

- This here was considered the summer kitchen, and it would've been used primarily in the summer to cook.

That way, you didn't have the heat in the main house.

On this building, this flue and chimney are on the outside of the building, so the heat is outward.

Like if we use this in the wintertime, we generally have a little bit trouble to get the fire to draw properly 'cause you have to get this masonry hot to draw the flames up, where in that building, that flue and the brickwork is on the inside.

So once that gets hot, it's also gonna help to heat the living quarters in there.

So this is considered hearth cooking.

So one of the main things is, is they use cast iron pots.

They would have them up on a tripod and to control heat, you would just have a fire built and shovel up the hot coals and build your coals underneath.

You could control your heat a lot better.

Today, I made a German one pot stew, they call it Eintopf, which means one pot.

All the vegetables that I prepared in it are from my garden that I picked yesterday.

Pretty much whatever they'd have coming off their garden would've been period for that time.

So everything is just slowly cooked over a fire, and this would've been one of their primary meals that they would've had on a fire about constantly to feed a large family of 16 that would've lived here.

- The family that lived here, they had 16 children, and of those 16, each one of those children had 10 kids.

With having 16 kids, obviously the bloodline kind of runs through a lot of different people.

I know a handful of people on the board, including myself, have some of that blood.

May not be the same last name, but there's still a connection to this homestead.

As time progressed, the Swiss Historical Society bought the property and started redoing the buildings back to they way that they were when they were built originally.

The thought process behind that was probably 10 or 12 years ago, needed some more room to display more things, and we didn't quite know what we wanted to do.

So there was a building not too far away from here that they were gonna tear down.

Anyways, it was an old barn.

The Swiss Historical Society bought the barn, had it brought over here, put back up, assembled, and then that'll be another museum for people to walk through as well.

As much as the family draws an important factor into this obviously, to me, the big draw is the fact that you can walk around the grounds and there's very few places that you get told you can't go into.

It's a living, walking history museum that you can go anywhere, see a snapshot in time of what it was like back in 1850s.

(bright music)