Every year, at the end of April, Geauga County residents cross their fingers, hoping the weather holds out for when the annual Geauga County Maple Festival comes to town.
Every year, at the end of April, Geauga County residents cross their fingers, hoping the weather holds out for when the annual Geauga County Maple Festival comes to town.
The festival, held April 24-27, will take over Chardon Square and feature a roster packed with fun for the family.
While festival organizer Jen Freeman didn’t have an exact figure for the number of guests the event saw last year, she estimated it to be one of their highest attended festivals.
“Based on vendors’ feedback, they were running out of food by Sunday afternoon,” she said, adding the number of attendees is weather dependent.
“They’re pretty hardy. People come out anyway, it’s usually well attended, but if it’s raining or snowing, then it definitely cuts down on the crowd,” she said.
The festival will open at noon Thursday with concessions. Rides start at 4 p.m.
While there are always new acts on the entertainment stage, the event is, otherwise, the traditional festival people look forward to, Freeman said.
Entertainment Director Ron Spangenburg, however, is stepping a bit outside the norm this year.
“Thursday night, I broke tradition. I’ve got a DJ coming up there,” he said.
DJ Brandon Stray, with All About You Entertainment, will be coordinating with dance group Burton Ballet, who will perform while he plays.
“I told ‘em do whatever they want,” Spangenburg said. “They’re coming up with a show, it outta be pretty good.”
Thursday night can be questionable in terms of attendance, especially if the weather is bad, Spangenburg added.
“I’ve brought bands up there and they’ve played to an empty street,” he said.
While Friday and Saturday often draw adult crowds, Thursday usually attracts more teenagers, leading Spangenburg to seek out music that appeals more to the younger generation.
The Chardon Polka Band will be performing Friday night, with Americana group The Hickory Rockers playing as an opener. Rock and roll band Ricky and the Rockets will take over the stage Saturday.
While there aren’t any major changes this year, Spangenburg said he tried to include as many dance troupes as he could.
Two adult troupes will be performing in the street Saturday, with a hip-hop group at 12 p.m. and the Senior Squad Dance Team following at 12:30 p.m. This marks the third year giving dance troupes a street takeover, he said.
Acts are primarily local, Spangenburg said — anyone not from Geauga is still from somewhere near by.
There was a lot of interest from bands this year, but many reached out too late to be scheduled, he said.
Despite newer acts like the dance troupes and Thursday’s DJ, traditional entertainment still has a large appeal to festival-goers, he said.
“When the rides are operating, you can hardly walk up there,” he said. “It’s almost like mechanical entertainment away from digital entertainment has really come back into its own.”
While the festival has tried digital entertainment in previous years, people just aren’t interested, he added.
The draws are traditional music, the Chardon Polka Band and the parade.
Last year’s festival accommodated ongoing construction at the Geauga County Courthouse. As the renovation work is still underway, this year’s festival will look very similar, Freeman said.
“We had to take out two rides last year and then (the lumberjack competition) moved to between the library and the school. So, that’s going to be the continued plan this year, as well,” she said, adding the festival committee has actually liked the new placement better than the old one behind the courthouse.
