Fri 6/9-Sun 6/21
Home days affairs are ubiquitous during the summer, with most northeast Ohio events mirroring each other. If you go to one, you’ve seemingly been to them all — elected officials, cover bands, carnival food, pageants, rides and such.
For those folks looking for something different, consider a one-tank trip to Vermilion, which is naturally home to Dick Goddard’s incredibly popular Woollybear Festival every fall.
However, for nearly 50 years — mind you, that’s longer than the legendary meteorologist’s caterpillar celebrating affair — the city located on the shores of Lake Erie has been staging the Festival of the Fish. This year’s event takes place June 19 through 21 in downtown Vermilion. Events include fireworks, a lighted boat parade, crazy craft race, family fun fishing derby, sand castle contest and pet parade.
Cool Cleveland talked to a confident Sandy Coe, executive director of the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, about what she expects to be a rain-free Festival of the Fish.
What’s the origin of the Festival of the Fish?
This will be our 49th year. Back then, Vermilion was more of a fishing town because there were a lot more fishing locations and fisheries here. That’s just not the case anymore. In the past 20 years, people still come here and fish and stuff like that, but it’s just not as a big of a thing as it was in the past. It’s more of a tourist town being right on Lake Erie.
Naturally when most folks think of Vermilion, the Woollybear Festival comes to mind. How does it differ from the Festival of the Fish?
Festival of the Fish is a totally different creature than the Woollybear Festival. With the Festival of the Fish, you bring in a lot of local people — around 35,000 — in the surrounding area, where Woollybear Festival we bring in a lot of people — roughly 150,000 from different states.
What are some of the main attractions to the Festival of the Fish?
Every year, of course, we try to make it bigger and better, and a couple of years ago we brought in fireworks that we shoot off Friday evening from our breakwall. That increased our attendance with people coming in. It’s about a 20-minute show that is just beautiful with the reflection off the water. Being a boating town, and seeing that, it’s just truly amazing.
Naturally with a festival named after fish, one would assume there will be perch and walleye food options.
Yep. A lot of people say there’s not a lot of fish but you can only allow so many in of the same type of food vendors or the vendors don’t make money. So we have alligator bites, fresh Lake Erie perch, walleye and cod. But we also have your typical festival food as well with corndogs, funnel cakes, sausage sandwiches. We bring in about 40 food vendors and 80 vendors overall in our marketplace.
Also, we see that Dick Goddard will be making an appearance.
On Friday, we have Dick Goddard host the pet parade where people bring their pets to the main stage. There are different categories that they can enter their pets to win prizes and parade them right there. Also, later that evening we have a lighted boat parade.
Compared to other summer fair events, how does the Festival of the Fish standout?
Vermilion is the best-kept secret around. We live in this beautiful tiny little town. I always say it’s this beautiful bubble because the rain always misses us.
Uh-oh, are you worried you just jinxed this year’s festival meaning it’s going to rain.
No, it never rains for Festival of the Fish.
Festival of the Fish takes place on Rt. 60 (Main St.) between Rt. 6 (Liberty Avenue) and Ohio Street, in the center of the historic downtown Vermilion, Ohio. For more information, call the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce at 440-967-4477.