Live music, food, & Appalachian heritage crafts
at the historic Simon Farm
West Portsmouth, OH
September 27 & 28, 2025, 10 AM to 4 PM
Step back in time and immerse yourself in the rich history and traditions of Appalachian culture at the 41st annual Sorghum Festival! Held each year at the historic John Roger Simon Farm, this beloved community event features sorghum syrup making, heritage crafts demonstrations, traditional food, and musicians jamming favorite Appalachian tunes. Free and open to the public, it’s a vibrant gathering honoring the artistry and ingenuity of Appalachian life—perfect for all ages to enjoy!
Sitting on the banks of Pond Creek, the historic Simon Farm is framed by more than 650 acres of forested Appalachian hills. Founded in 1864 by John Simon’s French ancestors, the well-preserved homestead has been home to four generations of the Simon family.
Along with the sweet and distinct aroma of sorghum syrup cooking over a wood fire, old-timey Appalachian folk tunes fill the air at the Sorghum Festival all weekend, as musicians form impromptu jam circles, playing traditional instruments like the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.
Experience rural life skills that have stood the test of time in Appalachia, including wool spinning and soap-making. Wander through the farm and watch as skilled artisans demonstrate heritage crafts like corn husk doll making, wheat weaving, and quilting—and many of these hand-crafted items, including sorghum syrup, will be for sale!
The John Roger Simon Sorghum Festival is held each year on the last full weekend in September. In 2018, the aging organizers decided to call it a day for the long-running festival. However, the story of this beloved event took a surprising turn when the non-profit Arc of Appalachia, John Roger Simon, and his team of neighbors and friends collaborated to bring it back to life in 2022.
Admission: Parking and admission are FREE
Address: 8721 Careys Run Pond Creek Rd, West Portsmouth, OH 45663
Celebrate Appalachian Folk Art & Music. Young and old-time musicians from around the region will once again wend their way to the festival to linger for just a few hours or stay the entire weekend. Impromptu jam circles will entertain visitors with folk tunes played on traditional stringed instruments. Artisans will also gather to demonstrate rural heritage crafts, including corn husk dolls and wheat weavings, and rural life skills that persisted longer in Appalachia than the rest of the nation, including spinning wool, quilting, and soap-making.
Come hungry! Hot dogs with Bea’s recipe of homemade meat sauce and chips, bean soup & cornbread, and sorghum-sweetened baked goods are once again on the menu and will be available for purchase throughout the event.
Tour the Historic Simon Farm Homestead. The legacy of the Simon family dates back to the middle 1800s when Jean Baptiste Narjoz migrated from France to this handsome hill-country farm in Scioto County. His daughter married John Simon, who is the great-grandfather of the event’s founder, John Roger Simon. Jean and his daughter built the two-story farmhouse in 1864 - the same building that still stands today. Virtually unaltered from its earliest years, the home sits among a number of historic barns and outbuildings — all built with lumber cut on a water-powered sawmill that the Simon family operated on Pond Creek.
One of the outbuildings on the property that will be open during the Festival is a museum of old farm implements – tools that were used by John’s family and his friends and neighbors in earlier times.
Enjoy a beautiful natural setting. The Sorghum Festival also honors the splendor of the Appalachian forests and landscapes that inspired the culture and lives of the Appalachian people. The Simon Preserve protects hundreds of acres of mature white oak woodlands – a forest much older than those typically found in Ohio. Visitors to the farm are encouraged to tune in to the deep connection between nature and Appalachian culture throughout this event.
What is Sorghum?
Sorghum is a sturdy grass that is cultivated throughout the world as an important food crop. A staple in the Appalachian diet since the mid-1800s, it is planted in early spring and its robust canes are harvested in the fall. The canes are pressed and the juice produced is cooked until it thickens into a natural sweetener with many culinary applications. Only 10 gallons of the sweet juice are needed to produce one gallon of syrup. Watch the process from start to finish at the Festival and purchase the delicious syrup to enjoy at home.
Directions
Address for GPS: 8721 Careys Run Pond Creek Rd., Portsmouth, OH 45663
Directions north from Portsmouth or south from Chillicothe: From OH-104, turn west on OH-73. Drive 2.8 miles on OH-73, past Taylor Lumber. Turn left on Careys Run/Pond Creek Rd. Holy Trinity Catholic Church’s meeting hall will be on the far left hand corner. Follow Careys Run/Pond Creek Rd. for a little over a mile. The historic homestead at 8721 Careys Run Pond Creek Rd. will be on your right – easily identified by the sorghum-making mural on the side of the barn painted by Robert Dafford. The farm’s fields and wooded hills can be seen on both sides of the road. Free parking is on the left, across from the homestead and Pond Creek property.
Directions from OH-41: Turn east on OH-73 off OH-41 at Locust Grove. Follow OH-73 east for 25 miles. Turn right on Careys Run/Pond Creek Rd. Holy Trinity Catholic Church’s meeting hall will be on your right. Follow Careys Run/Pond Creek Rd. for a little over a mile. The historic homestead at 8721 Careys Run Pond Creek Rd. will be on your right – easily identified by the sorghum-making mural on the side of the barn. The fields and wooded hills of the property can be seen on both sides of the road. Parking is in the field on your left, directly across from the farmstead and Pond Creek.