Editing Chillicothe, Ohio (section)

==Arts and culture==
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2024}}
[[File:Chillicothe ohio main street 2006.jpg|thumb|The south side of West Main Street. The square building left of center is a replica of Ohio's first capitol building and serves as the office of the ''[[Chillicothe Gazette]]''.]]

===Majestic Theatre===
Chillicothe is home to the 158-year-old continuously operating Majestic Theatre.  Its stage has been graced by such greats as [[Laurel and Hardy]], [[Milton Berle]], [[George Arliss]], [[Sophie Tucker]], [[Bob Hope]] and many others.  In 1853 the Masonic Hall was built, as the first incarnation of what is now the Majestic Theatre.
The two-story brick building was a combination lodge room, dance hall, and theater.  Stock companies stayed for as long as a month, performing a repertory of plays.  In 1876 the Masons appointed a building committee to enlarge their building. The original building was {{Convert|40 x 100|ft|m|abbr=on}} and was later extended to {{Convert|50 x 120|ft|m|abbr=on}}. Upon completion in December 1876 it was announced that the Masonic Opera House was one of the finest theaters in the state. After the remodeling and with the completion of the Clough Opera House across the city, theater offerings were tremendous, and varied drama, comedy, farce, minstrel shows, and operas were presented.

In 1904 A. R. Wolf bought the Masonic Opera House. Mr. Wolf remodeled the theater and enlarged the stage.  He replaced all the windows in the front of the building with stained glass. The Masonic Opera House continued under Wolf's managerial abilities until he sold it to the Myers Brothers in 1914. They again made some improvements and repairs and installed a movie screen and equipment. The Myers Brothers changed the name to the Majestic Theatre.  They occasionally had live theater productions on the stage but finally switched exclusively to motion pictures.
In July 1971, Harley and Evelyn Bennett became the new owners of the Majestic Theatre. They did careful restoration with reference to the original wall painting.
Three Chillicothe businessmen (Robert Evans, Robert Althoff and David Uhrig) bought the theater as a non-profit organization in 1990. All new wiring throughout the theater, fire safety, and security systems were installed.

===Fairs and festivals===
[[File:Story Mound in Chillicothe.jpg|thumb|Chillicothe's Story Mound State Memorial]]
Chillicothe, rich in [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] history, hosts the annual Feast of the Flowering Moon Festival. Started in 1984, the May festival draws crowds of approximately 85,000. Yoctangee Park, in the historic downtown, is the setting for this family-oriented, three-day event featuring Native American music, dancing, traders and exhibits, a mountain men encampment, rendezvous with working craftsmen and demonstrations, and an extensive arts and crafts show with more than 80 crafters and commercial exhibits.  The main stage has a schedule of family-friendly entertainment, such as local school bands and performers.  The streets are lined with food booths and games/contests.  Events are free to the public.