The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
A good blend of history and fun
Constitution Day festival offers everything from speeches by reenactors to folk music
If you wanted to hear interesting perspectives about the U.S. Constitution, the Lake County History Center was the place to be on Sept. 14.
After all, it’s not often that former presidents such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (full disclosure: portrayed by talented historical re-enactors) come to Lake County and share their thoughts on the Constitution.
But speeches by Washington and Lincoln, and a variety of other activities, were highlighted on Sept. 14 at the Constitution Day Festival, which took place at the Lake County History Center on Riverside Drive in Painesville Township.
The annual event precedes Constitution Week, which is observed Sept 1723, and commemorates the 232nd anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Constitution Week Festival made its debut in 2016, and had been held at the gazebo in downtown Painesville until moving to the Lake County History Center this year.
“(The Lake County History Center) is a fantastic forum for this event,” said Lake County Commissioner Ron Young, who founded the Constitution Week Festival. Young came up with the idea for the festival about four years ago while attending church. The pastor was preaching a sermon about division in the church in general, but Young, who then served as a state representative, began thinking about division that persisted in politics and culture.
“And it remains so,” he said in an interview prior to the festival. “One of the things I wanted to focus on was something that could unify us, unify the country, and the Constitution occurred to me because it is the bones of America, the structure of the nation, that holds things together. That’s the main thrust of this festival. We need to work together to make things happen, to effect change.”
The festival provided guests with historical viewpoints about the Constitution, offered during short speeches by re-enactors portraying statesmen such as Washington, Lincoln and Samuel Adams; and Betsy Ross, who is credited with creating the first American flag. Those speakers delivered their remarks from the front porch of the History Center, where the railings were adorned with red, white and blue banners.
Washington, portrayed by Dale Fellows, said he initially declined invitations to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, but changed his mind.
“After much persuasion by many including Dr. (Benjamin) Franklin, I did conclude that it would be a dereliction to the republic and my beloved country if I did not attend,” he said.
For most delegates to the Constitutional Convention, it was apparent that “tinkering with the Articles of Confederation was no longer reasonable,” Washington said.
“In order to create a new form of self-government, there were several issues to resolve: representation, a national executive, slavery, a Bill of Rights and more,” he added.
After four months of deliberations and intense debates, the work of Constitutional Convention delegates was done, Washington noted.
“Seven articles — it was the hand of God that helped us,” he said.
While the Constitution Day Festival certainly appealed to students, researchers and readers of American history, the event also offered lighter forms of entertainment.
The festival, which ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., featured Gatling gun and musket demonstrations; re-enactment of America’s first Constitutional Convention by Rabbit Run Theater and the Madison High School Drama Club; tavern spirits of the Revolutionary War period by Debonné Vineyards; and American folk music by Hal Werner, president of the Heritage Club of Northeast Ohio.
Young also hinted about new additions that will be made to the 2020 Constitution Day Festival.
“Next year, we plan on having a nationally known speaker … we’re going to have fireworks. It’s going to be a fantastic event,” he said.