Like A Scene Out of Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” Fall Art Festival

Looking for something to do not too far from Warren County, Ohio? How about the annual return of thousands of crows and their ear-splitting cacophony to the forest of Mansfield Art Center conjures up bizarre images of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” The bizarre experience is the inspiration behind CrowFest, a one-of-a-kind fall festival that runs Sept. 19-Oct. 18 and celebrates the Art Center’s annual avian visitors through fine art. The event is an incredible exhibition of hundreds of original works by a variety of artists, each inspired by the return each year of thousands of crows as they migrate for the winter.

Such massive flocks of the inky black birds are known as a murder, further cementing their reputation as harbingers of bad omens and gothic art symbols. Pitch-black feathers; piercing, sharp beaks; loud, harsh caws and uncanny ability to remember faces add to their alure as art icons, which will be hailed during Mansfield’s CrowFest.

This one-of-a-kind autumn experience opens with a reception Sept. 19 from 2-4 p.m., with an artists reception and awards recognition at 6 p.m. The opening reception also features a handblown glass pumpkin patch, glass hotshop demonstrations, fall art and gifts for purchase in the Gallery Shop, commemorative CrowFest 2026 T-shirts, food and treats from vendors and craft beer from local favorite Phoenix Brewery, which interestingly, has its own macabre history, being housed in a former mortuary.

More News from Lebanon

• Hall Around Town Radio's Who's Playing Out: August 27th - Sept., 2 Who’s Playing Out – Thursday August 27th to Wednesday September 2nd, 2026
• September 1 Marks Beginning of Ohio’s Fall Hunting Seasons Hunting seasons for squirrel, dove, Canada goose, and teal open in early September,