GAHANNA: 50 YEARS AS OHIO'S HERB CAPTIAL

Thyme to Celebrate

Gahanna marks 50 years as Ohio’s Herb Capital through celebration and continued knowledge

By Jack McLaughlin

The year was 1972, and the clothing donned by the small group of women gathered in front of the Ohio State House was outdated by at least a century even then.

They hadn’t shown up to simply show off their period garb, though. They meant business.

The group of five women–known as the city’s “Herb Ladies”–was made up of Jane “Bunnie” Geroux, Ruth Rauchenstein, Trudy Miller, Ruth Wilke and former Gahanna Parks and Recreation Director Lucy Seeds. Also members of the Gahanna Historical Society (hence the period clothing), the group had gathered in Columbus to have the City of Gahanna named Herb Capital of Ohio to celebrate the area’s rich history of herb cultivation.

“In the 70s it seemed like people were starting to get more interested in herbs and herbalism,” said Ohio Herb Center Coordinator Amanda Ferguson. “And they wanted to put Gahanna on the map for that.”

They succeeded 50 years ago exactly, and while some of these trailblazing women have since passed, the legacy they left for Gahanna residents can still be felt to this day.

Currently, many residents are familiar with the city’s Herb Capital status through Gahanna’s annual Herb Day.

Held each year to coincide with International "Herb Day, the annual event features plant sale, art sales and displays from local vendors and students, live music, food trucks, and even the return of the Herb Pageant from several decades ago. The

A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY EMBRACES THE HERB CAPITAL DESIGNATION. IT REALLY ADDS TO THE UNIQUENESS OF THE AREA...

winner of the Pageant is dubbed Herb King or Queen and will represent Gahanna at a number of events throughout the next year.

“In our office this was all particularly exciting,” Kappes said. “We feel like it’ will draw more people in.”

And while Herb Day Is the best-known manifestation of Gahanna's Herb Capitol pride, it’s far from the only one.

The City is regularly home to events such as the popular Herb’n Restaurant Week and the Herbal Cocktail Trail. Similar to other passport-style events, the Cocktail Trail invites participants to stop at every participating spot on a pre-created list. The Trail is returning for the spring and summer seasons with six local spots that each offer a different herb-forward cocktail. Those who receive stamps from all six locations will receive a commemorative prize.

The list this summer includes 101 Beer Kitchen, Barrel & Boar, Edison Brewing Co., Heart State Brewing, Nostalgia Brewing, Signatures Millstone Tavern and Wyandotte Winery.

“A lot of the community embraces the Herb Capital designation. It really adds to the uniqueness of the area,” Kappes said.

The Herb Ladies’ legacy lives on in more tangible ways than events as well. In the heart of downtown Gahanna—and a stone’s throw east of Big Walnut Creek—is the Ohio Herb Center.

The Center, located inside the historic Nafzger-Miller House at 110 Mill St., was originally created by Bunnie Geroux, with the City of Gahanna taking over operations in 2013. With an on-site herb garden and regular classes, it’s become a hub for Central Ohioans not only to learn about the rich herb-related history of the area, but it’s also become a place for them to get hands-on with herbs themselves.

Amanda Ferguson, an herbal practitioner of more than 20 years, is taking the torch from Gahanna’s Herb Ladies to usher in an era of education and—above all else—enjoyment.

“I am part of what I consider the changing of the guard. People always talk about herbs that have a specific use, or that they should only be used medicinally or culinarily, but we encourage people to use herbs for whatever they want, because it’s different for everyone,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be so complicated; I always tell people it’s as simple as drinking tea.”

As Gahanna and all of its herbal history moves forward— no doubt unveiling even more herb-related events in the near future—Ferguson still has time to look toward the past. She reminded us to think back to the Herb Ladies, to the fact that neither the Herb Center’s work—nor the celebrating so many of us do every year—would be a reality today without them.

“Really, none of this would be here without them,” she said. “ We have an obligation to carry on the work that they started.” ♦

WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO CARRY ON THE WORK THAT THEY STARTED. "