3rd year coming to this. I really wouldn't call it an Apple festival b/c there only like 2 stands…read morethat had anything to do w/ apples. There was an apple dumpling booth and the 1 we love is Grobes Fruit Farm - mainly the only reason we come. They have apples (what a novel idea), cider, fritters, fry pies, caramel apples etc. Also offer roasted corn in adjacent booth. Great prices here. Of course there's 50+ booths of fair food. Some vendors selling windows & junk. Friday nite had a band playing oldies. Sat/Sun has a 5k run & car show. Most of it is around the square / Ely Park, which was tore up as it's in middle of construction of a new fountain I assume. Crowd was pretty obnoxious with cackles of gangsta kids plowing into each other & us as they ran thru the sidewalks constantly. Of course a fight broke out between some losers w/ 4 cops pretending to break it up but really not stopping the screaming & swearing! Daughter was scared, we were irked & left. Place looked kinda like a dump, dirty walks, trash around, mulch scattered, not to mention the hoards of walking dead all around. Not sure I'll be coming back again. Elyria is worse than I've ever seen. Not a family friendly venue unfortunately, at least on a Friday nite.

Great wine at good prices. Unique wine you can only get there. Live music some evenings.read more

We stopped by Laughing Bomb Brewery on a whim, curious to see what had taken over the former John…read moreChrist Winery location. The concept--part winery, part brewery--definitely intrigued us, and I'll say right off the bat: the service staff was truly fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and clearly putting in the effort to make guests feel welcome. That said, the overall experience was a bit of a mixed bag. The seasonal mixed drinks were creative and fun, and the fries were surprisingly solid. Unfortunately, the spicy chicken sandwich was underwhelming--bland, without much heat or flavor--and the buffalo chicken dip was just decent. With a pretty limited food menu, we found ourselves wishing for a few more standout options to round out the visit. To be fair, we didn't sample any of their craft beers, which could very well be the highlight of the place. But for a Friday happy hour at 5:30, the sparse crowd (just eight people, including us) made the atmosphere feel more quiet than energetic. I genuinely want to root for a local spot like this, and I admire what they're trying to build. But based on our experience, this feels like a one-and-done for us. I'm still giving it 3 stars , largely because the staff really did make the best impression of the night--and that counts for a lot.

I want to truly thank Officer PTLM. Ryan Jones #82 and the entire North Ridgeville Police…read moreDepartment for all their help and support with our car problems while attending the wonderful Sweet Corn Festival on Saturday. I have never seen such fantastic service and support from a great Police department as I saw today. My brother and I were in a panic mode and had an issue with our car and they came to the rescue. Thanks David Bornancin

Those of you who have great experiences please think about what I say here before you give them…read morefive stars, and take the time to notice the minorities that have fled your neighborhood, because your great experience should mean less when you know how they are treating people like me. I had an officer pull a gun on me for quoting the law - which I know because I'm a J.D. - and telling them what they need to do to follow it. I called to make a report and the officer refused to take it, instead telling me that being disabled and annoyed justifies the use of deadly force if I am "really annoying". He said this while threatening me with his gun. He is trying to terrorize me and finding enjoyment from that. I could go on with experiences equally as troubling because they never ever ever stopped harassing me. I couldn't leave my home. I eventually fled the city with all the other minorites. I am now completely disabled and unable to work nor ever will be. I was looking forward to a future that now will never be. Others with a disabled family member have fled the city like I did. And I was nice to them about trying to address the situation, always saying that I didn't want to punish anyone but just wanted it to stop. The way they treated me - especially the city attorney - was pure evil. A normal part of my life became running from the police, because I learned they were too lazy to go looking for me if I wasn't easy to find. Pure evil. A lot of them mean well - this doesn't describe the whole force. I once went off on a decent one of them and he left my house in shame because he didn't know all that stuff. I feel bad about that because I know what they are going through in that department. A good number of them there want to do decent policing. But they don't stop the others from attacking me for their own enjoyment. Don't know why. It is literally their job to do that.

After reading some reviews on facebook, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly…read moresurprised! I went a few days before Christmas and it was not very crowded at all (however, it was quite chilly, which may have kept some folks from coming out). The prices started out at 35 for the all-inclusive ticket (includes slide and mini golf) and 20 for a regular entry ticket, plus 5 bucks for parking. But the management seems to be open to feedback, as they reduced those prices to 25 for all-inclusive, 15 for regular admission, and free parking. There are some kinks to work out, indeed, but I think they can do it for next season! For instance, the signage is not great. There are just one or two small signs that point you to the slide with no further instructions. No one tells you that if you purchased the all-inclusive ticket that you have to seek out a waiver to sign and then go get your own tube on the field-level to bring with you to the top of the slide. So I walked up there and they sent me back down with my tail between my legs. The workers agreed that it wasn't well marked, so I likely was not the first one to do this. I also saw a family headed up behind me without their tubes, so they turned around to find them as well after I advised them of my experience. Also, found it mildly confusing where to exit the Christmas Around the World tent, and some of the passport stamps were hard to find. I was still not clear about what the prize was for completing all the stamps. But it was still really fun to wander through each country. The backdrops were artsy and beautifully illustrated. I think that some of the country displays needed a little more substance though. Parts of that tent felt forlorn and empty. Maybe more fun samples in each country's section, kind of like the gluhwein sample in Germany, or some other clever little give-aways, international cookie samples, or even some merch for sale. The food trucks were fine, but I don't know if I would necessarily describe it as an international array of food offerings per-se. Not a bad selection, just not exactly unique- they are all found pretty universally, at least in this part of Ohio year-round. Only one set of restrooms were open in the ballpark and unless you stumbled upon the ones that were NOT open, you would not know this. Something that some minor signage or even a map could really help with. They did publish a map on social media, but it didn't have specifics. There was merch available, but you cannot buy a gluhwein mug unless you purchase it with a drink. For $12 I found this to be a little steep, as you can get the mug and the gluhwein in European Christmas markets for 4 Euro or less! The merch vendor here did sell some cute sweatshirts and the make-your-own cotton candy machine was really cool in the candy tent. The bars were plentiful throughout the event, and their omnipresence suggests that their goal is to make a large profit off alcohol sales. In fact, the only obvious signage pointed guests to the bar areas. However, there were lots of children there, so I am not sure if beverages sales were as lucrative as they expected. Other signs were not as direct or not present at all. In fact, I don't think I saw any signs for mini golf whatsoever. The glockenspiel was beautiful and there were some dancers over in that area, which was a cool concept. Maybe some more things like this would enhance the event too. Or maybe move the passport area inside the ballpark to make it seem less spread out and simpler to enjoy? There is so much potential here! I had fun and enjoyed myself. With a few alterations, this could be an outstanding Christmas attraction in northeast Ohio. Right now it's not on par with Castle Noel, The Christmas Story House, The Ohio Christmas Factory, or even Stan Hywett (which is probably in another category, but still a holiday attraction).....however, with a little TLC and feedback after this initial year, I'll bet they can make it into something really wonderful.

Wonderful baseball! Outstanding atmosphere!…read more As a former broadcaster, I've been to a lot of stadiums between New York and Texas over the past 30-some-odd years. While I've never had a bad experience at a baseball game, Forefront and the Crushers are among the standouts. The Crushers are a Frontier League team. It's independent, which means many of the players here have either never made it to the MILB, or they did and it didn't work out like they wanted. In other words, they are playing their butts off to make it to the next level. Whether it's baseball, hoops, hockey or football, players at this level tend to warm my heart and feed my appetite for excellent competition. Besides, lower level baseball is just flat-out fun. Though I always root for the home team, it was a little different this time around, as the family of Evansville's starting pitcher was sitting right next to me. His name was Ben, and I found myself cheering for him as well. He was small by MLB standards, and his pitching was a mixed bag. Still, like everyone else on the field, he was living a dream. I was certainly honored to see it. As for Forefront Field, it's small with nary a bad seat in the house. The beer selection is as good as any ballpark, and the hot dogs were divine. The mascot here, Stomper, is a real trooper. The poor dude had to be sweating his rear end off, but he still played along with the crowd. If I lived in these neck of the woods, I'd be a season ticket holder. This is wonderful family entertainment, and the baseball playing is clutch.

A nice stadium where they hold different events when there are no games. We were there for their…read moreHalloween event. There's really no bad seat in the house. Parking is decent. Staff was kind.