The link below will direct you to all you need to know from planting to harvesting to crafting gourds.
And since you live in Ohio, too bad you missed this year's weekend festival of the Ohio Gourd Society held down near Dayton, in Greenville. If you are a gourd fan, you definitely need to get this on your calendar for next year! They have great workshops as well as displays gourd art work and numerous vendors selling all varieties of gourd seeds as well as mature gourds (and other natural materials), some cleaned, some not, in all price ranges.Click on this link and peruse the photo gallery for info and inspiration!!
http://americangourdsociety.org/ohiochapter/

Just be sure you get the correct info on curing/drying gourds (which you WILL get from these sites) --I have seen a lot of misinformation online, even here within this forum.
I still have many, many gourds of various types I grew when we lived in eastern PA 20 years ago, as sound as the day I cleaned them.
Have fun!!

Here is a link that might be useful: American Gourd Society