Tippecanoe and Mum Fest Too

Please enjoy this excerpt from our print story, which ran in the 9/25/24 edition of the Tippecanoe Gazette.

It wouldn’t be Fall in the Miami Valley without the annual Tipp City Mum Festival, held this year from September 27-29. This year marks the festival’s 65th anniversary. The theme is “Tippecanoe and Mum Fest Too!,” a sly reference to the famous campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too,” from William Henry Harrison’s presidential election of 1840.

Sixty-five years ago, the newly-formed Tipp City Chamber of Commerce was looking for a symbol to represent the city. An early suggestion was a Tomato Festival, due to the large number of plants in the area, but it was dismissed in favor of another idea. The Chamber President at the time heeded the suggestion of a council member who had just returned from the Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan. He suggested that if Holland could have a festival honoring the tulip, why couldn’t Tipp City have a chrysanthemum festival? The idea took hold, but was shortened to a Mum Festival. Shortly after, Tipp City adopted the name “Mum Capital of the World.” 

The Gazette recently sat down with William House, the President of the Festival Committee, and Kathy Taylor, First Vice President. Among the festival-related topics, the theme selection was discussed.

“I’m a transplant to Tipp City, not born or raised here, but I’m a bit of a history buff,” House said. “I found it interesting how many folks who are lifers here did not realize that the namesake of the town came from that campaign slogan of William Henry Harrison. Making the case for that and realizing it had a nice ring to it, the two just kind of came together.”

This year’s festivities offer something for everyone, including a Mum Festival Motorcycle Charity Ride, Run for the Mums 5K race, classic car cruise-in, the Mum Festival Queen Pageant, and the selection of Little Miss and Mister Mum. The culmination will be a parade on September 28, followed by the festival itself at Tipp City Park.

“Planning typically starts with our meeting in January,” House said. “By the time we get to April or May, most of the committees have their parts lined up. Unless you’ve been involved in something like this, it’s pretty hard to know what it takes to put an event like this together.” For the record, this is House’s second time in the President’s seat, and he made a declaration--“I can unequivocally state that this go-round is my last. Twice is enough.”

The festival officially got underway with the Mum Festival Motorcycle Charity Ride on August 24. All the proceeds benefitted the Tipp City Needy Basket. For the past six years, the festival committee has matched the amount raised. This year’s total from the race was $1,201.

“It’s a great fundraiser,” House said. “There were probably 30-some motorcycles involved. There are a lot of local folks participating, but through word of mouth, a lot of riders who aren’t from Tipp come back every year. It’s kind of like a reunion. They might not have seen each other since the last run, but they come back year after year to support it, and we’re grateful.”

To read the rest of this story, please pick up a copy of the Tippecanoe Gazette - and thank you for reading!