Wellington’s Cheese Heritage Festival celebrates our village’s history as the “Cheese Capital of America” back in the mid to late 1800s, when northern Ohio was prime dairy farm country and the railroad provided access to the larger world. At its peak, the Wellington’s cheese factories shipped over 6 million pounds of cheese around the world. Most of Wellington’s picturesque downtown and the grand Victorian homes on Main Street were built during its prosperous heyday when cheese-making was the major industry of southern Lorain County.
The Cheese Heritage Festival kicks off every 3rd weekend in July in historic downtown Wellington. Activities, live entertainment including performances by Men of Steele, Midnight Express, live broadcasts by WDLW/WOBL, food, and special events for families continue all day Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Rides, games, food booths, cheese for sale by the pound or deep-fried on a stick, live entertainment, and a 50/50 raffle will be on tap all weekend. Additional special events include:
- Cheesecake Bake-off and Cheesecake Auction
- Macaroni & Cheese Bake-Off;
- Ohio Wines Tasting;
- Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments;
- American Cornhole Association sanctioned Cornhole tournaments; Macaroni and cheese eating contest;
- Colgate Country Showdown northern Ohio competition for America’s largest country music talent search
- 5K/10K runs through the Village’s historic neighborhoods;
- and the “Spirit of Cheese” parade Saturday at 3 p.m., featuring this year’s Parade Marshal WEWS Channel 5 meteorologist Mark Johnson.
This year’s Festival was “more fun than you can shake a cheese-stick at!"
Thank you to this year's race participants!
