Peony Fest/ArtRageous has new activities

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Van Wert Peony Festival, created 84 years ago to promote the community’s commercial peony farms, has endured through two revivals long after the peony farms became a part of local history. This year’s festival, the 25th consecutive edition since its second revival in 1992 — exactly 60 years after the original festival began — has lots of new activities and events (click here for a full schedule).

One of the decisions helping the Peony Festival continue its success is the combination of the festival with the ArtRageous on Main Festival begun a few years ago through the Main Street Van Wert organization.

“We just keep growing, seeking out more of the fine artists, more of the craft vendors that want to exhibit,” said Main Street Program Manager Adam Ries, who also chairs the ArtRageous Committee. “The goal is to keep growing the events every year … we just want to bring more and more variety to what they come to see.”

Ries said that at least 60-70 artists would be displaying their artwork in Fountain Park during the weekend festival, with more and more artists exhibiting during the festival. Wassenberg Art Center is also sponsoring activities at the art center during the weekend.

Ann Marshall, who said has been a Peony Festival Committee member for the past four or five years, noted that the committee is trying new things that will attract more people to the festival, with hopes the festival could some day bring in 100,000 people like it did in its heyday back in the 1930s, when professional float makers displayed their work and 60 bands played during the two parades held then.

“I’m very happy with how things are growing,” Marshall said, although she did acknowledge that attendance may not reach those levels during her lifetime.

Zoe Longstreth, Peony Festival Committee president, said this year’s entertainment would include the Barony of Shadowed Stars, a medieval re-enactment group; as well as Aaron Roehm’s magic show, two free concerts The Together Group, the first concert of The Van Wert County Foundation’s Fountain Park Summer Music Series, will perform Friday evening at 7 p.m., while SaMax, a pop duo brought in by the Peony Festival Committee, will entertain in the park Saturday evening.

On the artsy side of things, a caricature artist will be in Fountain Park from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, while dancers from Kim Hohman’s DanceWorks will perform from 11 a.m.-noon on Saturday. There will a number of free children’s activities on Friday and Saturday, including the Van Wert Optimists Youth Art Show. Inflatables will return this year to the park, while carnival rides — one of the few activities that is not free — will be located in the Central Avenue parking lot across from First United Methodist Church.

There will be a free Fishing Derby Saturday morning at the YMCA’s Camp Clay, while a Color Run 5K race will be held Saturday morning as well. Local Girl Scouts are also sponsoring children’s activities in the park.

Adults and children will enjoy a 540 Martial Arts demonstration in the park early Saturday afternoon, while a K-9 unit demonstration is also planned for Saturday afternoon.

Traditional events will also be held in 2016, including the 55th annual Jubilee Flower Show at Wassenberg Art Center, the Peony Festival Queen’s Tea Saturday afternoon at Willow Bend Country Club, Peony Festival Garden Tours (see article in News archives), and the Peony Festival Craft Show in the park.

Of course, one of the premier events is the Peony Festival Grand Parade, which begins at 5 p.m. Saturday. Marshall noted new for the parade will be a fifth parade division and trophy being handed out this year — the Commissioners’ Trophy, which will be given to the best parade unit representing industry. Gary Showalter will be the new announcer for this year’s parade.

This year is the second year the festival’s Grand Parade will follow its traditional route down Main Street. The route has been lengthened a bit this year, and will run from the YWCA to Burt Street. The parade route had previously been Washington Street, from the Van Wert County Fairgrounds to Gleason Avenue.

Noting that there had been some requests for more handicap parking, Ries said handicap parking will now be available behind the Van Wert County Courthouse after 5 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday. He said that, with handicap-accessible sidewalks all through the downtown area, there is full access to all festival events.

Marshall said that, while some people don’t like the gaps that occur in the parade lineup, they’re actually necessary because bands and other entertainment must stop and perform in front of the viewing stand in front of the Courthouse.

Longstreth said this year’s parade will feature all three county high school bands for the first time in a while, while Lincolnview Local Schools is having a number of parade units in 2016, including the school’s state runner-up boys’ basketball team.

There will also be lots of food vendors providing their wares on South Jefferson Street by the park, with local restaurants also open in the downtown area, Ries noted, along with other downtown businesses.

All three said more volunteers and input are also appreciated, even if volunteers can only do one event or activity — or just provide input. Longstreth added that donations are also welcome, noting that the Peony Festival Committee is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so donations are now tax-deductible.