Come one, come all to the 139th Community Festival

The famous quote, “The only constant in life is change,” has special meaning this year. The 139th Annual Community Festival has changed somewhat this year as it will be held on Saturday, August 23, jam-packing three days of activities into one day of non-stop fun for the whole family.
North Royalton Community Festival began some 141 years ago as a Farmers’ Picnic. In all those years, only two years did the event not take place, and that was due to the 2020-21 pandemic.
As a farming community in 1884, farmers began chores at 4 a.m., milking and feeding the animals, and their work continued throughout the day tending to their land. Once a year to celebrate the harvest, families put on their Sunday best; hitched their horses to the wagons; and loaded baskets with food, utensils, tablecloths and blankets. They headed to the Picnic Grove to have the Farmers’ Picnic, a day of festivities that began around 9 a.m. and continued until later in the afternoon when it was time to return home and milk the cows and tend to evening chores. The ladies chatted about family and exchanged recipes. The children played games and read books. The men talked about farming, livestock and family.
By the early 1900s, the yearly gathering moved from the Picnic Grove to the Village Green, to accommodate the horses and wagons, and also parking space for the new Model T automobiles that some residents were now driving. With the arrival of vehicles, Rt. 82 became the main road used to get around the village.
As the years rolled on, the Farmers’ Picnic grew and became known as the Homecoming Picnic, welcoming such distinguished visitors as President William McKinley while on the campaign trail. The Village population continued to grow, and the designation of City became effective in 1961.
In 1968, a Centaur Rocket was displayed by NASA at the Homecoming, just one year before the July 1969 moon landing. In 1972, the parade was held on July 4, and the Homecoming included helicopter rides, skydiving demonstrations, and ended with fireworks. Several years later, the festivities were moved from July to late August, before the start of the school year. The Chamber of Commerce later assumed the role of sponsor and host of the event, and the name was changed to Community Festival.
In 2018, our City went all out to celebrate its 200th birthday. The Bicentennial celebration began with a Business Sidewalk Sale and Pet Carnival in late July. On August 4, there was a Bicentennial Ball at Carrie Cerino’s Party Center, organized and hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. More than 200 residents attended the Ball. Each table included a piece of information from the past 200 years. Each guest received a favor, including either a small bottle of maple syrup from Royalton, Vermont, from where the first settlers came in 1818, or a jar of jam made right here in North Royalton.
With the help of the Historical Society, a table was set up at the Ball, displaying items from the past 200 years. A live band played music for the dancing enjoyment of the guests. The following day, there was a Bicentennial Picnic at Memorial Park. The Bicentennial Community Festival was held on August 10-12 that year, with the Annual Olde Timer’s Banquet, carnival rides and food, live entertainment, parade and ending with a huge fireworks display.
To kick things off this year, the City is sponsoring a Movie Night from 8-11:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Memorial Park. The Olde Timer’s Banquet will be held on Saturday, Aug. 23. More info is included elsewhere in this paper. Festival hours on August 23, are from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Activities include something for everyone. An inflatables company will bring a bouncy house and slide for the youngsters. Dance groups are scheduled to bring their young dancers to perform at the gazebo stage.
Live entertainment will be provided by “Risk Factor,” a northeast Ohio based band that plays music from the 1970s to today.
The Parade will step off at 2 p.m. from St. Albert the Great and march along Ridge Road to North Royalton High School. Come early and pick the perfect spot to watch the parade. Parents are reminded to keep children along the curb and not allow them to run onto the street in order to ensure their safety. North Royalton CERT members will also be on hand to enforce these rules. The parade is sponsored by Cuyahoga Community College Western Campus. Founded in 1963 as Ohio’s first and largest community college, Tri-C continues to provide high quality, affordable education and programs to more than one million community members across four campuses and numerous off-campus sites. To learn more, visit tri-c.edu/western.
Vendors and Exhibitors will be at the City Green with a variety of food and drink, along with information about local businesses.
The grand Festival fireworks display will end the day of festivities with a combination of vibrant colors mixed with thunderous sounds exploding in the sky. Each year, there are the sounds of oohs and ahs, after each blast erupts in the dark sky, and this year will be no different. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the spectacular fireworks display. The City-hosted fireworks will launch at dusk and are viewable from the City Green, and are sponsored by NOPEC, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 38 and Laszeray Technology, Inc!
The North Royalton Community Festival is proudly organized and sponsored by the North Royalton Chamber of Commerce – nroyaltonchamber.com.

By MARIA MAGNELLI
Recorder Editor