Waterville's Roche De Boeuf Festival draws crowds despite early rain
Sep. 25—Despite morning rain, Waterville residents and visitors turned out en masse to the Roche de Boeuf Festival.
"As a kid, I always looked forward to it," said Brooklyn Lipinski, a Maumee resident who grew up in Waterville and attended the festival every year that she could.
The festival took place all day Saturday in downtown Waterville, off Farnsworth and North River roads. Vendors, food trucks, and entertainment lined the streets, and by early afternoon, the sun was shining as families laughed, ate, and greeted one another in a celebration of their community.
Named for the rock that sits in the river by Waterville's old interurban railway bridge, the festival was created almost half a century ago as a way to not only bring people together but to also show the greater region what Waterville has to offer.
"It's our little claim to fame in Waterville," said Corina Pfleghaar, executive director of the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Even with a few cancellations because of the weather, Ms. Pfleghaar said the festival had more than 165 vendors from all over the region and 56 units in its parade. The parade was delayed an hour for rain, but once it got started, attendees crowded the sidewalks, taking photos and videos as cars, fire trucks, the Anthony Wayne Marching Generals band, and more passed by.
"It shows Waterville's community spirit," Ms. Pfleghaar said.
This year's parade grand marshal was Nancy Davidson, a local Mary Kay Cosmetics dealer and festival committee member for the chamber of commerce.
When she found out she'd been selected to be the grand marshal, Ms. Davidson said she was shocked.
"This was my first time in a parade and it was awesome," she said after she completed the route.
Last year, the festival was cancelled because of the pandemic, and Ms. Davidson said it was sad and disappointing for everyone that it couldn't go forward.
"It's an important part of our community," she said. "It brings all of us together."
And she wasn't at all put off by the rain.
"Rain is liquid sunshine," she said.
The festival began 48 years ago when Kenny Blair and a few other former members of the Waterville JayCees wanted to do something for the community. They figured, Mr. Blair said, that other municipalities have festivals, so why not Waterville?
"We just brainstormed it one day," he said.
That first year, Mr. Blair said the organization won a state award for the event. Eventually, the JayCees handed off the reins to the chamber of commerce, which has guided the festival since.
It feels good, he said, to see something that he helped come up with grow to such a degree. In two years, it'll be the festival's 50th year, and though Mr. Blair said he didn't know if anything special is in the works for that milestone, he's sure "it'll be something grand."
First Published September 25, 2021, 4:19pm
