The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Garford Arts Festival returns, adding bands
The Garford Arts Festival returns to Elyria with paints and musical performances Aug. 3 and will be free.
The Garford Arts Festival returns to Elyria with paints and performances Aug. 3.
The free event is the second annual community celebration of Elyria and Lorain County makers of art and music.
It runs from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a similar layout as last year, with vendors, artists, displays and music along Kerstetter Way and the East Falls Riverwalk.
The festival is meant to inspire local pride and innovation, said Andrea Repko and Eddy Marflak, who are co-founders with Steve Riggle.
“We knew it was going to be neat, but it completely exceed expectations, including our own expectations,” Marflak said about the inaugural fest in August 2018.
The event is a 21st-century way to capture the ethos of Arthur Lovett Garford, who was a 19thcentury Elyria industrialist, inventor and politician who first made his fortune selling his patented bicycle seat, which became known as the Garford Saddle.
Some people believe Elyria has a reputation as a “divided” community or that downtown is unsafe after 4 p.m., Marflak said.
But that is not true, the organizers said, and they hope people will embrace what is available in Elyria.
Those who attended the 2018 festival, saw families, young couples holding hands and classmates they had not seen in years, Marflak said.
There was no exact headcount for the event, but attendance was estimated to hit 1,000.
“People from all walks of life came out and supported it,” Marflak said.
“People from all over, people of all ages came and we had nothing but positive feedback,” Repko said.
Along with vendors and sponsors, the organizers thanked Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda, her assistant Scott Buzaleski and Elyria city officials and staff for their help.
Brinda credited the festival, the Elyria Arts Council and the Blank Slate cooperative space as pieces toward developing the arts downtown.
The mayor said she planned to attend Aug. 3.
“It’s a wonderful evening for people to come down, enjoy some free entertainment,” Brinda said.
The musical acts have grown from 18 on two stages to 26 bands on three stages.
If possible, the organizers want to place some performers on the Riverwalk observation deck.
The Art Alley area will have works for sale, with artists donating 15 percent of the sale prices to the Garford Arts Festival.
“We want to support local artists and encourage them to continue doing their work,” Repko said.
There will be a live mural painting, a bottle cap mosaic created by the Elyria Arts Council and makeand-take crafts for children.
The festival is “100 percent family friendly,” Repko said.
As in 2018, food trucks will be available, but the Garford Arts Fest is alcohol-free. The co-founders said some people remarked on the absence of a beer tent, but serving alcoholic beverages adds to the expenses, logistics and security required.
“I don’t know that it’s a necessary addition to the festival,” Marflak said about adding adult beverages. “I think we’ve been happy with how we’ve been growing from year one to year two without that addition.”
The festival organizers simply encourage people to enjoy the art available there and patronize Elyria’s nearby bars and restaurants, Repko said.