In 1996, Chris Chmiel founded Integration Acres and, in 1999, the organization began promoting the Pawpaw.
In 2007, the sponsor of the festival was Ohio's Hill Country Heritage Area program and included live musical band performances, with audio CDs.
In 2008, the Pawpaw festival made itself more accessible, with the assistance of the Office of Sustainability, by offering a shuttle service for those college students that wanted to attend.
The first festival brought in individuals from Better Homes and Garden; along with The Washington Post and the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The following year, judges for the festival included Sue Dawson and a food editor for the Columbus Dispatch.
Each year, the Pawpaw Festival is host to a wide variety of local and regional musical acts.
The East of the River Shawnee Tribe shares traditional culture and there is an atlatl competition as well as a 1790s frontier camp.
Local food and cottage goods vendors set up a wide variety of stands to create a vibrant marketplace.