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  Ohio, Social Profile

Food & Drink: Ohio is farm country, with fresh local produce and big wholesome meals. Pork and beef are common, and fried chicken features on many menus in the State, especially in the south. Corn is a staple of Amish cooking, featuring in cornmeal mush (a breakfast dish made with cracked corn, eggs and milk, then fried) and hominy (made from the kernels of white corn). Desserts usually centre around homemade fruit – apple pie is particularly popular, almost always served à la mode (with ice cream). The Amish people offer some regional specialities such as hand-cranked ice cream, homemade granola and maple-cinnamon rolls.
Tomato juice is the state beverage and Kentucky bourbon is a popular alcoholic drink. Spirits are sold only at state stores, while beer and wine are available in grocery stores and drug stores. Drinking hours in restaurants and bars are determined by the type of liquor licence held by the establishment; the minimum age to consume alcohol is 21.

Theatres & Concerts: The Cincinnati Opera (the second-oldest opera company in the USA) and The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra perform at Music Hall (the Pops Orchestra has a summer season at Riverbend Music Center). Theatres include Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati.
A series of more than 100 concerts is presented annually at the Cleveland Institute of Music by the Institute’s Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Opera Department and Contemporary Music Ensemble. The acclaimed Ohio Ballet performs at a variety of venues and festivals. The Cleveland Ballet performs at Playhouse Square, one of the largest performing arts centres in the country and home to five restored theatres (the Allen, Hanna, Ohio, Palace and State Theaters). The Ohio Chamber Orchestra performs in the Little Theater at the Cleveland Convention Center, and the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall from September to May and at the newly remodelled Blossom Music Center during the summer. Theatre can be seen at the Cleveland Public Theater, the Cleveland Play House (the first regional theatre in the USA), Playhouse Square Center and Karamu House (a multi-racial arts centre). Cain Park has dance, theatre and music concerts (ranging from jazz to classical) in the summer.
The Wexner Center for the Arts in the Short North district in Columbus has an excellent programme of classical music, dance and jazz. The Martin Luther King Jr Performing and Cultural Arts Complex has performances by a variety of African-American artists. The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus also has an excellent programme.
Elsewhere in the State are the Ohio Light Opera Company in Wooster, Center for the Arts in Canton and the Ariel Theater in Gallipolis.

Nightlife: The Flats in Cleveland is a popular nightlife entertainment area. The Short North District, German Village and the Brewery District in Columbus have excellent nightlife. Nightlife areas in Cincinnati include The Wharf at Covington Landing and the Oldenberg Brewery Complex. Dayton is known for its jazz clubs, while the blues can be enjoyed at Cleveland’s new House of Blues venue.

Shopping: Major outlet shopping centres include Ohio Factory Shops, 58km (36 miles) south of Columbus; Jeffersonville Outlet Center in Jeffersonville; Aurora Farms Factory Outlets; Lake Erie Factory Outlet Center in Milan, and JC Penney Outlet Store and Brice Outlet Mall in Columbus. The Easton Town Centre in Columbus features shops, restaurants and a 30-screen cinema. The towns of Lebanon and Waynesville are known as the ‘Antiques Capital of the Midwest’. For speciality Amish buys, the best areas for shopping are the 8km- (5 mile-) radius around Fredericksburg in Wayne County and the area between Charm and Farmerstown in Holmes County.

Sport: The State’s pro baseball teams are the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians. The Indians play at Jacobs Field. The new Great American Ball Park is a welcome addition to Cincinnati’s thriving sporting scene. The American football team is the Cincinnati Bengals. Skiing is also available: the major resorts are Alpine Valley Ski Area and Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resort, both near Cleveland; Clear Fork Ski Area and Snow Trails Ski Resort near Mansfield; and Mad River Mountain Ski Resort east of Bellefontaine.
Cleveland Metroparks has 19,000 acres of walking and hiking trails, nature centres and golf courses (boats, canoes and cross-country skis are available for hire in appropriate seasons). The Firestone Country Club is an excellent golf course, which holds the World Golf Championship NEC Invitational in August. Fishing, swimming, watersports and boating can be enjoyed on Lake Erie; canoeing on the Mohican and Tuscarawas rivers; fishing and sailing on the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District lakes; hiking and rock climbing in Hocking Hills State Park and Wayne National Forest. Other State parks offer a variety of activities on land and water.

Special Events: The following is a selection of special events occurring in Ohio in 2005:
Feb 5-13 National City Cleveland Home & Garden Show, Cleveland. Feb 6 Annual Black Heritage Concert, Cleveland. Feb 26-27 Maple Syrup Weekend at Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville. Feb 26-Mar 6 Fifth Third Bank Home & Garden Show, Cincinnati. Mar 3-Sep 5 Blooms and Butterflies, Columbus. Mar 4-6 Arnold Fitness Weekend, Columbus. Mar 5 National Cambridge Collectors' All Cambridge Glass Auction, Cambridge. Mar 13 Maple Fest, Republic. Mar 17 St Patrick’s Day, Cleveland. Mar 19 Early Spring Woodcock Walk at Maumee State Park, Oregon; St Patrick's Day, Dublin; Trinket or Treasure, Columbus. Mar 26 Hayes Easter Egg Roll, Fremont. Apr 20-24 Cincinnati Flower Show. May 27-29 Cleveland Botanical Gardens Flower Show. May 27-30 Great American Rib Cook-Off, Cleveland; Greek Heritage Festival, Tremont. May 28 Ye Olde Mill Ice Cream Festival, Utica. May 30-Jun 5 Memorial Golf Tournament, Dublin. Jun 2-5 Columbus Arts Festival. Jun 8-10 Toledo Harbor Lighthouse 101 Year Festival, Oregon. Jun 17-18 Festival Latino, Columbus. Jun 18-25 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, Findlay. Jun 22-25 London Strawberry Festival. Jul 29-30 Queen City Blues Festival, Cincinnati. Aug 3-14 Ohio State Fair, Columbus. Aug 5-6 Ohio Mennonite Relief Sale & Auction, Kidron; Vintage Ohio Festival, Cleveland. Aug 5-7 Irish Festival, Dublin. Aug 6-7 Twins Day Festival, Twinsburg. Aug 20-21 Coshocton Canal Festival. Aug 27-Oct 23 Ohio Renaissance Festival, Harveysburg. Sep 3-5 Cleveland National Air Show. Sep 9-10 Marion Popcorn Festival. Sep 30-Oct 1 Ohio Swiss Festival, Sugarcreek. Oct 8-9 Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival, Jefferson. Oct 9-10 Apple Butter Days & Fall Foliage Tour, Gnadenhutten. Oct 14-16 35th Bob Evans Farm Festival, Rio Grande; Apple Butter Stirrin', Coshocton. Oct 15 Fall on the Farm, Archbold. Dec 3-5 Ashtabula County Christmas, Austinburg.