Hilltop Bean Dinner, popular Columbus community festival, coming back
The Hilltop Bean Dinner, a longtime tradition in the neighborhood, is coming back for the first time since the pandemic began in early 2020.
On Saturday, June 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hilltoppers will once again gather at Westgate Park for food, live music, fun, arts and crafts, and, of course, beans.
About the Dispatch Mobile Newsroom:Telling stories in Columbus neighborhoods
The family-friendly festival began at least 80 years ago in the West Side neighborhood and celebrates the history of the area.
It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizers are glad it’s back.
“This year everybody’s busting out at the seams,” said Nancy Rhynard, with the Hilltop Business Association, which hosts the event. “I can take a whole park and really spread us out and we’re outside. I think it’s going to be a good year and I’m looking forward to that.”
Westgate Park has history
Where the park is now was land where Camp Chase — a 160-acre Union Army camp that was host to thousands of Confederate prisoners-of-war during the Civil War — sat and where soldiers were fed a ration of beans twice a day, according to the Hilltop Business Association’s website.
The business association hosts the dinner and festival, which offers beans, bean soup and cornbread along with a host of other food vendors.
This year, organizers are hoping to welcome food trucks in addition to typical food vendors, said Rhynard, who works in economic development with the association.
Columbus flavor:Intriguing international flavors make Ayy Karamba food truck a Hilltop destination
Every year, the free event features live music, arts and crafts vendors, an antique car show, kids activities, food vendors and more. Approximately 10,000 people come to the Hilltop for the event.
Promoting small businesses in Columbus
“It started with small business people who wanted to help promote small businesses and bring a community event to bring the community together to gather and enjoy themselves,” Rhynard said.
The event is put on using only volunteers and fees paid by vendors pay. All proceeds go toward hosting the event, she said.
A rich history:Six things you might not know about Columbus’ Hilltop neighborhood
Though hosted on the Hilltop, Rhynard said businesses and community groups come from all over the city to be a part of the festival.
“We like to see the diversity and hope we can bring it together because it does reflect how Columbus is overall, rather than just a neighborhood,” she said. “There’s people from all walks of life.”
Keeping kids growing:Highland Youth Garden has high hopes to expand on Columbus’ Hilltop
This story is part of the Dispatch’s Mobile Newsroom initiative. Visit our reporters at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Hilltop branch library and read their work at dispatch.com/mobilenewsroom, where you also can sign up for The Mobile Newsroom newsletter.
Read More: Hilltop Bean Dinner, popular Columbus community festival, coming back