People who enjoy playing golf and helping to preserve local history can satisfy both of those desires at an upcoming event in Madison Township.
The Old Tavern Preservation Society will hold its fifth annual Corn Fritter Classic golf outing on July 11. This event begins with a 1 p.m. shotgun start at Madison Country Club.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the nonprofit society, which is dedicated to rehabilitating and revitalizing The Old Tavern at 7935 South Ridge Road in Madison Township.
Tickets for the outing can be purchased until July 4, and include greens fees, cart, prizes, swag bag, hot dog lunch, and a dinner that comes with corn fritters. Four-member teams or individuals interested in buying tickets can secure them at shopoldtavernohio.org.
On the day of the event, golfers can begin checking in at 11:30 a.m. at Madison Country Club, located at 6130 Chapel Road.
People who want to support the fundraiser but not play golf also have the option to buy dinner tickets only.
Anyone with additional questions can contact Erin Cicero at 440-417-8299 or Charlie Holmes at 330-289-4660.
The golf outing is called the Corn Fritter Classic because the fried cake occupied a special place in The Old Tavern’s history, said Cicero, who is the society’s executive director.
“The corn fritter is the most remembered and loved item on The Old Tavern’s menu,” Cicero said.
Arthur and Hulda Fritz introduced them to the tavern when they owned and operated the establishment in the 1930s and 1940s, she added.
The Old Tavern, also known to many people as Unionville Tavern, is marking its 228th year in 2026. This building holds a position on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as Ohio’s oldest surviving tavern, the society stated on its website.
Besides functioning as a tavern, the building also served as a stagecoach stop on the old Cleveland-Buffalo Road; a station on the Underground Railroad; a post office; and a dining venue for historical figures such as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.
Old Tavern Preservation Society is involved in a multiyear, multiphase project to restore and revitalize The Old Tavern, which was established in 1798.
The group formed in 2011, initially to raise awareness about The Old Tavern, which had closed five years earlier and was deteriorating. In 2014, the group ended up buying The Old Tavern through private negotiation, a day before the building was set to be sold at a public auction.
In 2017, the society celebrated the completion of Phase 1 of The Old Tavern restoration, which involved installation of a new roof; interior stabilization; re-establishing the portico, or front porch; and refurbishing the portico’s pillars.
Phase 2 restoration focused on repairing the tavern’s foundation and rebuilding its portico. These upgrades were finished in 2022.
During this phase, the south and west sides of the building also were painted.
Phase 3 of rehabilitating the tavern is now taking place. This part of the project involves rebuilding the north wall of the tavern. The society, in a June 29 Facebook post, stated that the upgraded wall had reached a point where new siding was ready to be installed.