Soak up the Sun (and rain!) at 6th Annual Rain Beat on Main Street June 16 to July 9

It won’t be long until Ashland County visitors and residents will notice some colorful additions to their city and village streets. 2025 is the sixth year art and conservation will come together on the streets of both Loudonville and Ashland for Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) Rain Bean on Main Street event.

This year’s even will feature 27 one-of-a-kind rain barrels sponsored by local businesses and painted by local artists. The barrels will be on display during June and July in Loudonville’s Central Park (June 16-23), Ashland Balloonist at Freer Field (June 23-30), and Ashland’s Corner Park (July 1-9). While the barrels are on display, an online auction will take place for each barrel with the proceeds going toward stormwater education programs.

“It’s so fun to look back on all of the rain barrels that have been created since 2020, and I especially love seeing past rain barrels in use as we travel around the county,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD director. “People love being able to get outside to see and enjoy the barrels throughout the county, and we’re just excited to see interest in the program continue to grow with more and more local businesses and artists getting involved. We have a great level of community support from our sponsors, and when we combine that with the amazing artist talent within our community, great things happen.”

This year’s rain barrel sponsors and artists are:

      • Ashland Pheasants Forever Chapter 442 with artist Tom Oakley

      • Ashland SWCD with 2 barrels and artists Kari Roberts & Hailey Spreng

      • Ashland Wooster Drive-In with artist Eleah Macy Stadler

      • Bill Harris Dealership with artist Angel Lively

      • Brethren Care Village with artists from Brethren Care Village

      • BumbleBree Designs with artist Amanda Kencsan

      • Centerra Cooperative with artist LeAnn Stadler

      • Charles River Lab with employee artists

      • Exclusively Yours Catering with artistCynthia Petry

      • Forbes Farmstead Market with artist Grace Crall

      • Hart & Son Repair with artist Emily Spreng

      • Irwin Family with artist Kyle Akkerman

      • Laughery Land Surveying with artist Donna Sutherland

      • Loudonville Equity with artist Jennifer Hess

      • Loudonville Lions Club with artist Emily Spreng

      • Mansfield Plumbing with artist Julia England

      • Modern Home Supply with artist Drew Anderson

      • Morris Sign Studio LLC with artist Olivia Weiler

      • Neil Kadey Insurance with artist Chloe Matz

      • Meyer Hatcher with artist Evelyn Brockway

      • Ralph & Betty Jo Tomassi in memory of Steve Stuart with artist Shelby Kencsan

      • Rooks Bros Farms with artist Hope Abel

      • Shakley Mechanical with artist David Miller

      • Simonson Construction Services, Inc. with artist Michaela Brehm

      • Truax Printing with artist Kinley Schmidt

      • Valley Vista Farms with artist Kelly Mallory

While the rain barrels are on display, an online auction will be taking place where community members can bid on their favorite barrels. The proceeds from the auction are used for stormwater education events in the county.

So far, proceeds have been used to purchase a stormwater management learning and community engagement game and host a variety of educational events on precipitation monitoring, ice river spotting, rain garden workshops, and multiple rain barrel workshops.

“We have so many talented local artists that have once again just blown us away with their talent and creativity as this year’s barrels start to come in to our office,” Houin said. “We have everything from 3D butterflies and sea creatures to beautiful farm scenes and from African subsets to a literal barrel of monkeys. Each of these barrels is so unique and really reflects the passion and talents of our local artists.:

For more information on this year’s Rain Beat on Main Street event, contact Ashland SWCD water quality intern Olivia Rule at 419-281-7645 or at oliviaswcd@gmail.com

Ashland SWCD