Garrettsville – Garrettsville Summerfest is almost here and the Summerfest committee is busy tweaking everything to make sure everyone enjoys the weekend-long festival. Each year after the festival, the committee reviews the event and looks for ways to improve for the next year. New this year is a fourth prize to the car or cash raffle; a change to the Grand Parade time including a fire truck extravaganza; the location of the rides and a new shuttle service has been established to offer additional ample parking.
This year participants in the Chamber of Commerce’s Car or Cash Raffle will have the chance to win a brand-new Chevy Equinox (courtesy Charles Auto Family) or $20,000 in cash. The second prize is a Husqvarna YT XLS Riding Mower courtesy of S&K Sales & Service. The third prize is an iPad Mini with Retina Display and fourth prize is a Gas House grill.
Raffle tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100 and can be purchased at area businesses and restaurants prior to Summerfest and at the Summerfest Information Tent during the event. The drawing will be held at the close of the festival on Sunday, June 29 following Garrettsville Idol. The winner does not need to be present to win.
Though there have been no safety incidents, the Garrettsville Summerfest Committee has reviewed the concerns of parents and motorists regarding the placement of the rides and carnival games. We are pleased to announce that the Summerfest Kid’s Funland has been relocated to a larger location for 2014. Our Kid’s Funland, which features a variety of great rides, games, and food will be located near Sky Plaza IGA (sponsor of the 2014 Kiddie Pedal Tractor Pulls). Riders and parents are sure to appreciate the more spacious location, additional rides & games, and a position away from the traffic. Sky Plaza is only a short walk, or ride (via Summerfest Shuttle), from the Monster Midway & St. Ambrose Chicken Festival.
The committee has changed the start time of the Grand Parade. This year, the parade will step-off at 12:30 pm rather than noon, as it had in the past. Speaking of the parade, they have added a fire truck extravaganza to the event as a thank-you to all of the departments who helped during the fire. The fire truck extravaganza will be at the beginning of the parade, therefore, if your little ones love trucks this will be a must see event.
With over 25,000 people in town over Summerfest weekend, it can be a challenge to locate a parking spot close to the action. This year we are alleviating parking headaches by working with the James A. Garfield Local School District to offer shuttle service from the Garfield High School (10233 SR 88), and Sky Plaza (8311 Windham St.) parking lots to the midway. Donations will be accepted aboard the buses to help defray the cost of drivers’ salaries with any proceeds from the shuttle service going to the #GarrettsvilleStrong Fund. The shuttle buses will run from 4pm until 11 pm on Saturday and 5pm until 11pm on Sunday.
To plan your weekend of fun be sure to check out the 2014 SummerFest Fun Guide located in this weeks Villager.
