Grand Marshal for the 2014 Summerfest parade is… Mayor Rick Patrick. Each year, the committee selects a person who has tirelessly given back to the community, by donating their time, money and energy to see the community grow and prosper. Rick Patrick is that man.
Rick Patrick has served this community tirelessly over the years. He has served on the James A. Garfield Athletic Boosters, the Lion’s Club, Garrettsville Summerfest and was active in making the Bicentennial Celebration a success in 2004. He also has served 28 years on the Chamber of Commerce and served as president of that organization for nine years, and five years as the vice president. He was a Garrettsville Village council member five years and served as president of council for four years. He became mayor two years ago, when Mayor Craig Moser passed away suddenly.
Patrick said stepping into the role of mayor was hard for him. He had the utmost respect for the late Moser, who was also a dear friend and carrying on without him was going to be a challenge. Patrick rose to the challenge and with the assistance of the village solicitor he soon started to get the gist of his role as mayor. The challenges did not end there.
In the summer of 2013, the village experienced its worst flooding in over 100 years. Folks looked to Patrick for leadership once again as the village began to clean-up and moved forward. He was getting comfortable in the role of mayor when tragedy struck once again on March 22, 2014, when an entire block of Main Street was destroyed by fire. Patrick said it was one of his most challenging days. He said he was so overcome with emotion about the loss he was rendered speechless as he had to come to terms with the tragedy before he could even discuss the fire with the media. Since that time, he has continued to lead the village and is determined to see the Buckeye Block rebuilt.
Although Patrick is not native to Garrettsville, he is pretty darn close. He was born in Akron and came to the area with his family when he was in his early teens. He is a graduate of James A. Garfield Schools and had his first job at Menough’s here in town. Because of his love for cars, he left his job at Menough’s and took a job at Patry Pontiac Buick here in town. He later went on and established his own business, Rick Patrick Auto Service and Sales. He later bought Village Motors Towing.
Patrick is not just a public servant and business owner; he is also a family man. He has been married to Linnette for nearly 29 years, they have three daughters and seven grandchildren. His three daughters and 6 of his 7 grandchildren will attend Summerfest this year.
Congratulations Rick!
