Last updated on September 28th, 2021 at 01:58 pm
When I was a little girl, I use to daydream about having twins. Probably because Kimmy and Kathy, a pair of identical twin girls, lived just down the street, and we used to play together all the time. I’m also an only child, so the idea of having someone you shared everything with (including the same placenta) seemed like some sort of pipedream. Even though twins don’t run in my family, you could definitely say twins have always been part of my DNA.
Growing up, I would hear rumblings of some sort of annual twin event that took place every year in the nearby city of Twinsburg, which was about 40 minutes away from my hometown in Northeast Ohio. And the city’s name is no coincidence. The area was originally settled in 1817, but five years later, identical twins Aaron and Moses Wilcox became the true founding fathers of the area. The twins gave the town six acres for a public square and twenty dollars for a school, on the condition the town be renamed in their honor. And the rest, as they say, is history.
This year, Twinsburg celebrated its bicentennial (also referred to as a “Twincentennial”), as well as the 42nd annual Twins Days Festival. Yep, the annual twin event that took place less than an hour away from my home is still going strong. In fact, it’s now the largest gathering of twins and multiples in the world! Each year the festival’s committee works year round to create fun, family-focused activities in a two-day event that connects twins and transcends generations.
This summer, the kids, my husband and I traveled back to our hometown to visit friends and family, and we happened to be in town during the Twins Days Festival. Normally, this would be no big deal. However, we are now the proud parents of three-year-old identical twin girls. That’s right, my pipe dream came true with two. Would we attend the annual Twins Days Festival I had heard about since childhood? You betcha. We were now part of a very special “club”.
After checking out the Twins Days Festival website, we decided to register in advance for the event. This helps with overall attendance counts, which in turn helps with promotions and sponsorships that support the festival. This year, 1,723 sets of twins and multiples officially registered for the event, with many more simply showing up and paying at the gates. Registering your twins or multiples in advance also saves you some bucks, gets you a welcome bag and allows your multiples to enter some of the fun contests planned throughout the event.
So, what’s it like to attend an event where everywhere you go you’re seeing double (or triple)? Believe it or not, the word that comes to mind is “acceptance”. As a twin mom, when I’m out and about with my twins, I’m always a spectacle. You know the feeling. You’re hoping to make a quick trip to the grocery store, and you’re stopped by five people, eager to comment on your dynamic duo or offer their latest form of sympathy for your “difficult” lifestyle. But, at the Twins Days Festival, everyone is special. There’s a special bond of acceptance that’s shared with each person you meet without ever having to say a word.
It’s not uncommon to see eighty-year-old triplets, dressed all alike, rehearsing their tap dance routine as they prepare for the twins talent show. Or a group of twins decorating their floats for the “Double Take Parade”, which officially kicks of the event to the public. Your twins could even be the parade Grand Marshals or be nominated to the Royal Court! My three-year-old twins needed a more subdued introduction to the Twins Days Festival, so we bypassed all the flashy stuff and instead entered them in the competition for “Most Alike Females 3-4 Years Old”. And they actually won second place and got two “Twins Days 2017” medals! My girls weren’t very interested in the whole thing, but I certainly felt some sort of weird accomplishment for producing two people judges thought looked very much alike. YAY for DNA! And for fraternal twins, there are also contests for twins who look the least alike, which is also pretty awesome.
If your twins aren’t registered, there’s still lots to do (besides people watch). You can stroll through the park and shop at pop-up tents with businesses selling twin merchandise and goods. Your kiddos can play in the shade at the various outdoor playgrounds. And when you’re tired of the kids shouting “I’m hungry”, you can grab some grub from the many food vendors or snag free “twin pop” popsicles and fudge bars! Older twins can also visit a special “research” area where they can fill out surveys or even give DNA samples to help researchers with their projects (and get some cool swag). To commemorate the experience, all twins and multiples are also invited to be part of the official Twins Days Festival aerial group photo that captures the sheer magnitude of this memorable event.
Even as a child, I always knew twins were special. And I’m so glad that decades ago (40 minutes from my hometown) a group of people took a chance and created an event where twins and multiples everywhere can come together to celebrate their similarities and differences, and just have fun. To all the volunteers committed to making this annual event possible, this twin mom sincerely thanks you.
Sunny Gault has been obsessed with twins since childhood. Despite having no family history, she told her mom she was going to have twins, and 25 years later she gave birth to identical girls. She is also a wife and proud mama of two older singleton boys. Sunny’s fascination with her own twins lead her to create the podcast Twin Talks, produced by her company, New Mommy Media.
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