The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
A SOGGY START
Lorain International Festival kicks off
It’s that time of year again. The 51st annual Lorain International festival got off to a soggy start June 23 as patrons dodged puddles and mud at Black River Landing, 421 Black River Lane, to get their fill of music, food and fun.
Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer kicked off the festivities with a reference to the ominous, looming clouds that hung above the venue.
“I often say from this stage, this is the official kick-off of summer,” he said from the main stage. “It doesn’t quite look like it today, but we’re going to have a party anyway.
“This festival is really much of what makes Lorain Lorain,” he said. “We are the
“This festival is really much of what makes Lorain Lorain.”
— Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer
International City. We are open. We are welcoming. Our diversity is what makes us strong.”
Newly minted Lorain Port Authority Executive Director Tom Brown said he was excited watching the setup of his first festival as leader of the organization.
“It was fun to watch these guys set up this week,” he said while walking the grounds in a black suit, orange shirt and flowered bowtie. “The whole place transformed starting Monday.”
Brown said the festival is emblematic of the city, and further cements its status as “The International City.”
“So many people from all over the world came here for the steel industry, the auto industry, the shipbuilding industry and created all these different cultural organizations and this is a continuation of that,” Brown said.
He said as those cultural organizations start to disappear, the festival serves as a reminder of what and who Lorain is.
Ritenauer, who was walking with Brown, added that the festival is also indicative of the unity of Lorain in these contentious times.
“I think Lorain, and what we do, is a sign that we rise above whatever the politics of the day are,” the mayor said. “We’ve been the International City for a long time, we’ve been a welcoming city for a long time.
“We’ve been welcoming and accepting for a very, very long time through some very difficult eras in this country’s history and if that is what this era is, I think we’re going to continue to persevere and be known as that international welcoming city.”
Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James L. Miraldi was also on hand for the opening of the festival. He was specifically cheering on The Joyful Voices Choir which he works with, and which opened the festivities with the national anthem.
He reminisced about the history of the festival and its status as a tradition in the area.
“When I was growing up, with all the different clubs that existed, you just felt good about knowing that so many diverse groups can work together,” he said. “We’re still celebrating the tradition, and having all the princesses here is a reminder that the ethnic diversity still exists and people are still proud of it.”
“We’re still celebrating the tradition, and having all the princesses here is a reminder that the ethnic diversity still exists and people are still proud of it.”
— Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James L. Miraldi