The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
‘Deepwood’ showcases disabled talent
Mentor Civic Amphitheater hosted the inaugural ‘Deepwood Rocks’ event on Saturday.
A sunny Saturday at the Mentor Civic Amphitheater brought with it a bevy of shining stars for the inaugural Deepwood Rocks.
The live music event was organized and presented by Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities/ Deepwood and served to showcase the talents of the agency’s developmentally disabled clients.
The event ran from noon to 4 PM. Initial turnout was slow but steady, an aspect they hope to build upon next year as they continue the event.
This year was something of a proving ground for the event itself, a much larger and comprehensive version of their Deepwood Idol event, an endearing sendup of American Idol.
It’s outgrowth is a marriage of popularity and practicality.
As Deepwood Idol grew in success, they wanted to expand the event while offering a wider services reach. “We were trying to figure out how do we pool together the community to share the resources available,” explained Theresa Wetzel of LCBDD.
The result was Deepwood
This was a specific effort to widen the appeal of the event to reach the entire community.
Rocks, a musical exhibition from a number of DD performers that also featured a tented vendors row.
There, representatives provided information on a wide array of services and features specific to the DD community.
Wetzel highlighted that several of the vendor tables offered information or services of use to the entire community like fire safety and adaptive clothing that finds use with the elderly and those with autism.
This was a specific effort to widen the appeal of the event to reach the entire community.
“It’s relative for everybody,” she says.
Several games stations rounded out the festival atmosphere.
The Federal Hockey League’s Mentor Ice Breakers’ mascot Slam was on hand, cheering on participants from the front row.
Food trucks were also on hand, serving up treats like kettle corn and frozen icees.
These features furthered the event’s push toward full-family and regional involvement.
They seek the bridge potential stigmas the DD community may face and better integrate them into the larger community.
Riverside Schools high schooler Nick Haumesser received special recognition for having designed the logo for the event.
Wetzel highlighted Haumesser’s involvement as further evidence that the event had something for everyone to contribute to and gain from. Helping in that effort was local band, Sumrada, who volunteered to headline the event.
“They reached out and said, ‘We’ll be on your venue. We’ll do an entire set for you to show our support and to try help Lake County learn a little bit more about the needs of others and inclusivity.’ It all came together. It was just beautiful.”