Roscoe Village

Located just outside Coshocton on the west side, Roscoe Village is really a village within a village. It has more than 20 eating and drinking establishments. Villagers can walk to shop at several charming boutiques, enjoy a delicious meal, and complement it with a stop down the block for gourmet ice cream or coffee.

Roscoe Village is a restored Ohio and Erie Canal town operated by the non-profit Montgomery Foundation. It is a free, educational, and entertaining place to take your family for a summer outing. With an old time general store, a craftsman's shop, and more, you will find yourself transported from the time you step foot on the main thoroughfare to an era that has passed. If you are looking for more entertainment though, you can find it during any one of Roscoe's popular special event weekends of which there are plenty.

May - June

Dulcimer Days: Historic Roscoe Village salutes dulcimer music at its annual Dulcimer Days festival and competition. The festival, hosted by Roscoe Village, is held at the nearby Coshocton Lake Park Pavilion and will feature the Mid-Eastern Regional Hammered and Mountain Dulcimer Championships. Dulcimer Days is the oldest dulcimer festival in Ohio and the second longest running festival in the world. Guests will participate in hammered and mountain dulcimer, harp and bowed psaltery workshops; open, vocal, and duet contests; and a Saturday evening concert featuring two prominent dulcimer musicians. Approximately 1,400 guests are expected to attend Dulcimer Days with more than 70 contestants participating in a variety of dulcimer competitions throughout the weekend.

Corvette Cruise-In: Over 300 corvettes will converge on Roscoe Village at this event hosted by the Classic Glass Corvette Club. Stroll through the streets of Roscoe Village to the tunes of 50’s and 60’s music as you admire your favorite car and talk to its proud owner.

Heritage Craft & Olde Time Music Festival: Experience the rich heritage of Roscoe Village and its surrounding area through the sights, sounds, and traditional crafts of the 1800s. Watch the blacksmith’s anvil ring, the weaver spinning wool, and the demonstrations of heritage crafters selling their traditional handmade wares. Listen as the sounds of bluegrass, dulcimer, and old-time music drift through the air and the strings of the fiddle lure you in. Hone your musical skills by participating in the hammered dulcimer, fiddle, guitar, and dance workshops, or let your competitive side show as you compete in the flat-pick guitar contest. In addition to hosting a display by the Coshocton Art Guild, Roscoe has captured the true essence of canal heritage, and every guest can experience one special weekend filled with music, traditional crafters, jam sessions, and art exhibits.

July & August

Civil War Reenactment: Experience the drama of the War Between the States as Historic Roscoe Village becomes a battlefield. Guests are invited to stroll through the camps, talk with living historians, listen to the music of the era, share a campfire, and experience a soldier's way of life first-hand as he prepares for battle. The weekend will include military skirmishes and drills, medical scenarios, speeches by President Abraham Lincoln, a military car, camp laundress, night fire, educational presentations, children’s activities, and more.

Coshocton Canal Festival: Commemorating the landing of the first canal boat, the Monticello, at Port Roscoe on August 21, 1830, the Coshocton Canal Festival features an invitational craft festival; a Grande Parade; a Children’s Pedal Tractor Pull; traditional craft demonstrators; living historians; contests for all ages; food booths; canal boat rides; a fiddle contest; and bluegrass entertainment.

September - December

Fall Garden Fair: This one-day event features many activities to interest the novice or avid gardener! A select group of garden and craft vendors will be set up on the sidewalks of Roscoe Village along with a Question & Answer booth manned by Coshocton County’s Master Gardeners. Guests can stroll through the gardens of Roscoe Village or take part in a ‘Park & Walk’ tour of private gardens above Roscoe Village. A plant sale, guest speaker, kid’s activities, and garden art complete the events when we present the second Fall Garden Fair!

Apple Butter Stirrin': With over 100 crafters, this invitational craft festival celebrates the sights, sounds and scents of autumn. Smell the fresh apple butter simmering over an open fire as you stroll through the street to the tunes of bluegrass and old-time music. Watch cooking demonstrations, participate in a craft auction or a hog-calling contest, sign up for a quilt raffle. Events throughout the weekend will include living history tours, canal boat rides, musical entertainment and children’s activities.

Christmas Candlelightings: The first three Saturdays in December, Roscoe Village cheers on the holiday season with its Christmas Candlelighting Ceremonies. Share in the tradition of lighting the Christmas tree and participate in lighting your own candle as "Silent Night" is sung throughout the crowd. Over the weekend, guests can enjoy a visit with Santa, strolling carolers, live reindeer (first Saturday only), chestnuts roasting over an open fire, candlelight tours, complimentary hot-mulled cider and cookies and many other holiday festivities.

If you visit the village, you can park on the street if you can find a spot, or there is parking at the north end of the village next to the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center has some interesting displays and even some hands on areas. There is no charge for walking through the village or going into the shops, however, there is a fee for entering the exhibit buildings. You can purchase tickets at the Visitor Center and take the guided walking tour.

Ohio Tourism
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Roscoe Village Restored

The dream to restore the canal town know as Roscoe Village began in the early 1960s in the minds and hearts of Edward and Frances Montgomery. Edward Montgomery grew up in nearby Coshocton and remembered the destruction of the canal system that came with the flood of 1913. In the early 1800s, Roscoe Village prospered as a port on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Canal boats traveled through Roscoe carrying goods to Ohio settlers and transporting furs and food to northern and southern ports. What stands today as the Old Warehouse Restaurant was the center of commerce as goods were unloaded, stored or sold through the mill store. The development of the railroads and the devastation that resulted from the flood signaled the end of prosperity for Roscoe Village.

Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery's dream lives on through the not-for-profit corporation they created. The Roscoe Village of today provides an educational, entertaining and fun atmosphere blending with the rich history of this Ohio region. Roscoe Village is a living expression of the dedication that Edward and Frances Montgomery had for each other and for the town they called home.

The Villagers

This unique “Village Within the City” has more than 20 eating and drinking establishments. Villagers can walk to shop at several charming boutiques, enjoy a delicious meal, and complement it with a stop down the block for gourmet ice cream or coffee. Every bit as unique as our local establishments are the people who live and work in Roscoe Village. They are committed to building a strong community through Roscoe Village Neighbors.