Father’s Day weekend marks a milestone celebration for one of Logan County’s oldest family-oriented traditions.
The Saint Mary of the Woods Catholic Church Festival, which hosted its first event nearly 50 years ago, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the annual event, on the Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19, on the church grounds, located between Madison Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard in Russells Point.
Friday, the festival runs from 4 to 11 p.m., and Saturday, festivities take place from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The 2021 festival will continue the tradition of “emphasizing faith, family, community and patriotism by saluting fathers everywhere,” organizers said. Dad’s Car Show returns from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday evening, with registration from 4 to 7 p.m., and Our Father’s Patriotic Fireworks Display is set for Saturday evening, produced by Pyrotecnico Company, producers of Columbus (Ohio) Red White and Boom, and the 2021 Tampa Bay Superbowl Fireworks Show.
The festival, which had periodically skipped a few years; moved off-site more than 10 years ago, and now has returned to the church grounds for the past six years. Like many social traditions, evolving changes in the society, created the need for new ideas and attractions to allow the festival to continue expanding its appeal to the public and regional business sponsors.
Recognizing the situation, organizers began the time-committed process of gradually bringing in new and name-brand attractions and entertainment; as well as expanding the food, dessert and snack stand offerings, they related.
At the same time, the festival committee wanted to maintain as many longstanding traditions as possible, such as the Cake Wheel, Church Lunch Stand, Kids Games, Pony Rides, Pot-of-Gold, Pull-Bingo, the Silent Auction, Chicken and Fish Dinners made by the Knights of Columbus, the $4,000 Festival Raffle, and performances by the Fountainaires Jazz Band.
The first major addition included animal presentations from the Columbus Zoo; and then came activities with the Center of Science and Industry (Columbus COSI); and two years of Laser Tag.
Three years ago, the Saint Mary of the Woods Car Show began as a smaller show, but before the next year, the car show was rebranded as Dad’s Car Show. The first year for Dad’s Car Show drew 70 show cars, and that number grew to 150 cars in 2020. Projected number of entrance cars for 2021 is more than 200.
Dad’s Car Show added a disc jockey for music, and this year features a live performance by The Average Wright (Brothers) Blues and Rock Band. Each year, additional dash plaques, trophy awards, car show T-shirts and door prizes have been added as rewards for the participants who enter their cars into the fully-judged show.
In 2020, the Indian Lake Area Historical Society began recognizing and awarding the Oldest Registered Vehicle in the car show as well.
Organizers said the Friday portion of the festival has considerably increased in crowd size during the last three years with the additions of crowd favorites like the zoo and car show, Magician John Louis, a full electronics arcade, multiple craft vendors, the National Kiddie Tractor Pull State Qualifying Event, and the Holy Lighted Living Rosary, which is filmed from the drone of a professional photographer. The festival committee knew they were on to something significant in 2019 when they were able to grow overall profits by 20 percent from the previous year, they said.
With the Friday events going so well, the committee began turning its attention to re-tooling the Saturday line-up and business model. However, there was one substantial problem, with the 2020 health crisis threatening to cancel the 2020 church festival.
However, a combination of unique timing, just when activities were opening up in the summer of 2020, coupled with support from the Parish Administrator Reverend Shawn Landenwitch, Russells Point village officials and the Indian Joint Fire District, the committee was able to utilize the church’s religious status as being exempt from the state-wide health orders to allow the festival to take place, virtually in its entirety.
Despite the health concerns, the 2020 festival committee substantially grew the investments, the gross income, and greatly extended the marketing and media exposure, and was still able to show profits similar to the previous year.
That opportunity afforded the festival committee a chance to continue enhancing the Saturday line-up, by offering higher caliber musical entertainment like Columbus and Ohio State campus area acoustic rock performer Chris Logsdon for the Saturday evening entertainment.
Logsdon, who was twice named Columbus Area Entertainer of the Year, was tapped by the festival committee to help headline the other new and major attraction in 2020 — the Our Father’s Patriotic Fireworks Show, also produced by Pyrotecnico Company.The 2020 fireworks display was well-received by the large festival crowd, those who lined the streets of Russells Point and the many boaters who filled the Russells Point basin of Indian Lake State Park.
“Committee members are openly boasting, that if you liked the 2020 show; then the 2021 show will really ‘Rock Your Boat,’ as this year’s show will be substantially bigger regarding the total amount of shells, particularly the larger shell sizes,” organizers said.
Last year’s festival also saw the addition of both food trucks and homemade foods and desserts.
The longtime favorite Freyhof’s Funnell Cakes was joined by the new food trucks of Charlie’s Kettle Corn, and Snowie of Huron; as well as homemade stands of ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and homemade chicken and noodles and beef and noodles.
Bobby Fisher Beer Distributing Company also was added in 2020, as the beer and seltzer supplier; as well as a major fireworks sponsor.
The beer company is joined by 24 additional fireworks sponsors, including the top sponsors of Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships; Hensel Ready Mix; River Run Harbor; Rudolph Foods; Hurley Farms, Lee’s Chicken, Roofs by Warren, Beasley Architecture, Choice Properties, and Real Winner Farms Events.
New in 2021 will be the Friday night band; and the long-awaited return of the Country Expressions Band Saturday during the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. lunch hour; as well as the Romick Railway Train; Motteriffic Photo Both; State Fair Mini Donuts; and Authentic Axe Throwing.
Additionally, Emmy Award winning sound specialist Tim Berger provides a substantial upgrade to the sound systems to enhance the experience of festival-goers when enjoying the bands and Chris Logsdon on Saturday night.
Berger also will be providing the sound on the grounds during the live radio broadcast patriotic music supplied by Holy Family Radio OH, 94.9 Ada/Lima; and coordinated with the Our Father’s Patriotic Fireworks Display.