Fryburg Homecoming draws crowd for good company, entertainment, and famous mock turtle soup

FRYBURG, OH (WLIO) - A small community in Auglaize County threw a festival that attracts thousands. 

This is the 34th year that the St. John Catholic Church has hosted Fryburg Homecoming, a time when former residents travel back to the area to reconnect with family and old friends. For the kids, there's carnival games, crafts, and activities like train rides, while the adults enjoyed games of chance and raffles. There were no shortages of food choices at the festival. Everything from pie to hamburgers was served, but what people look forward to most is the famous Fryburg mock turtle soup.

"It is a secret recipe that's been passed down. Only one person at a time seems to know the recipe. And so they started firing up the kettles at 4 a.m., 12 hours to cook before it gets sold at 4 p.m. It's been part of the Fryburg Homecoming tradition, and it's a very particular taste; you can't get it anywhere else. Where else do you go to get mock turtle soup except a Fryburg Homecoming?" said Father Sean Wilson of St. John Catholic Church. 

Wilson adds that many people started lining up an hour before the soup was served.