AKRON, Ohio — One of Akron’s tell-tale signs of fall is happening now, the 54th Ohio Mart at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.
You’ll see food, 120-plus vendors and get to tour the beautiful grounds.
There are more than 100 volunteers on the Auxillary Board that make this event happen. It is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Stan Hywet, sometimes bringing in quarter-million dollars.
“I love the house and the grounds,” said 2021 chair Darby Ashelman. “I love the volunteers. I think we have the best volunteers in the world here. They’re great to work with, they’re a great group of people. They truly work all year to make this happen.”
Stan Hywet’s auxiliary board has been around since 1956.
Since then they’ve raised more than $6 million to help keep the estate running and restored.
They have also put in more than 1.25 million volunteer hours over the years.
Some members have decades of experience working for the Hall, while others like Siobhan Tolochko started this year.
She said she was shocked by how much work the volunteers do for the event.
“I find that they are volunteers, but they don’t behave like volunteers,” Tolochko said. “They take it seriously. Everybody shows up, everybody does their job. We all have fun together and it’s so professional. I had no idea what a gigantic undertaking this was until I actually did it this year, it’s amazing.”
