If Noah’s Ark had been built for humans, it might have set sail from Twinsburg. The city, founded by the Wilcox twins in the early 1800s, marks its 50th Twins Days festival this weekend.
Since 1976, more than 84,000 sets of twins, triplets and beyond have traveled from around the globe to Summit County to celebrate multiple births. Andy Miller has attended every single year and is now the executive director.
“I was always involved to help move things, cables, whatever it might be,” he said. “I was exposed to it at an early age.”
Miller remembers participating in the first Twins Day alongside his twin sister, Janine. As the festival grew, their parents took on leadership positions with the planning committee – roles they would hold for the rest of their lives. In those early years, Andy Miller said it felt more like a local home days festival.
“The fire department used to have the battle with the fire hoses and the barrel,” he said. “They’d have two teams and try to push it back and forth. They had tractor pulls. I don't want to say informal, but it was much more laid back. Once we started getting more coverage, either from a national standpoint or even international standpoint … we had to sort of retool the event to more ‘twin-centric.’”
What began as a small parade has grown into three days of events including talent shows, a golf outing and the crowning of the royal court. This year Miller said they are expecting more than 100 former royal court members to return. There will also be a special exhibit honoring five decades of Twins Day history.
“We're also going to have a game show which is called 'Twin Sync,'" he said. "The sets of twins are chosen and asked questions to see how well they know one another and if they can match answers.”
Most Twins Days activities take place at Glenn Chamberlin Park on Ravenna Road, near the city’s schools and library. The festivities begin on Friday at 9 a.m. with a golf outing at Gleneagles Golf Club. Various events throughout the day, including some that are closed to the general public, run through 9 p.m. The Double Take Parade takes over Downtown on Saturday at 9 a.m. and the day ends with fireworks at dusk. A 5K fun run and walk kicks off Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and the festival ends at 7 p.m.
Miller married a twin, Elena, in 1991. His father, Andrew, died in 2007. His mother, Sandy, died in May. Miller said that he continues his family legacy because of the feedback he gets from twins each year.
“A lot of the ones that have been coming for a long time really look at it as more of a family reunion,” he said. “A lot of the twins, in their normal day, probably don't acknowledge their twinship as much as they do on that weekend. They often say, ‘This is the only place where I don't feel out of place or as an oddity.’”
