A little known fact about Ohio, unless you happen to live in Athens county, is that our native fruit is the pawpaw. This year I went to the Ohio Pawpaw Festival at Lake Snowden for my first time. The festival is a huge deal in and around Athens county among the eco-minded community that shapes the area. But for me, the festival was about more than just the pawpaw, it was about community. What other oddity has the ability to draw so many people to one lake for three days of fun than the small, smooth-textured, green-skinned fruit with a shelf life of only a couple days? There aren't too many like it around.

I shot these for collegegreenmag.com. Check out the story here.

Wayne Boyd of Sheep Valley Farms teaches the challenges and joys of training herding dogs.

A detail of the sheep in a demonstration on herding by Sheep Valley Farms of Athens, OH.

Victoria Taylor, co-owner of Snowville Creamery, shows Pawpaw Festival goers how to churn pawpaw ice cream. 

Joshua pops out to look at his Angry Bird through the windows of his family's trailer.

Integration Acres, located in Albany, OH, has been serving the area as a collective for pawpaw growers and enthusiasts to learn knowledge about our navite fruit.

Listening to music from the main stage as the sun begins to set in the sky on Saturday evening.

Badger Johnson gives a demonstration on how to ferment vegetables in fruits to a crowd on Sunday morning.

Frozen pawpaw pult sits out on a crate before getting made into ice cream at the Snowville Creamery booth.

Dogs Gone Wilder not only serves fair foods, they also sell their very own pawpaw salsa special for the event.