Always wacky and sometimes wild, the Old West End Festival welcomed crowds to the historic Toledo neighborhood Saturday for a celebration loved for its zany traditions, porch parties, and its parade.
Visitors mingled with neighborhood residents along the King Wamba Parade route and cheered jubilantly as King Wamba and Queen Sancha were introduced on the Art Fair Stage. This year’s regal rulers, Jason Finn and Jeni Belt, accepted accolades from their subjects amid cheers of “Long live the king” and “Long live the queen.”
Their coronation, complete with crowns, harks back to a 1909 Mardi Gras festival held in Toledo, during which a king and queen presided over carnival festivities. The since-revived royal tradition now kicks off the modern-day revelry.
IN PICTURES: Old West End Festival
The party spilled out from the tented stage; past food stands hawking funnel cakes, ribs, and cotton candy; along sidewalks flush with vendors; and onto lush green lawns where residents sold knickknacks and home goods.
The festival attracts an eclectic mix who descend on the Old West End’s leafy streets on foot, bike, and golf cart and by walker, wheelchair, and baby stroller.
Festival-goers marveled at the old mansions — sprawling Victorian, Edwardian, and arts and crafts houses — and stopped to peruse yard-sale piles of Christmas ornaments, tie-dyed T-shirts, and quilts.
“It’s the best because you know it’s a gem of Toledo. We’re one of the few cities that has such a large historic district,” said Mike Shull, who lives on Scottwood Avenue near the celebration’s center.
His children Reagan, 17, and Corinne, 10, set up a lemonade stand and planned to donate a portion of the proceeds to the humane society. During this weekend, Reagan said she often sees “a whole bunch” of familiar faces.
“It’s hard to … walk down the street and not see someone you know, especially during fest,” she said.
Scott High School’s marching band provided the punctuation mark to a parade that boasted about 75 entries. Jemiah Peterson played the snare drum for the fourth time during the popular parade. The percussionist, who just graduated from Scott, said he likes performing for the neighborhood crowd.
“I have a love for the band. I’m going to remember this forever, so I wanted to do it one more, last time for the band,” Mr. Peterson said.
People stopped to congratulate him and his fellow bandmates as they walked back along the route toward the high school.
“This is like one of the biggest performances of the year because, really, this parade is around us. You always wait for it from the beginning of the year,” he said.
The band was a highlight for Irene Ballmer of Toledo. She attends the festival “almost every year” and said she enjoys the variety of people and the parade.
Festival attendance is difficult to judge because not everyone buys a beer or a ticket to the house tour, said Josh Thurston, the festival’s co-chairman of public relations.
“Some people just come for the yard sales, really, and they are kind of in and out, so it’s hard to know exactly how many,” Mr. Thurston said.
Why people come to the Old West End, and keep coming back, is a little easier to understand.
Mr. Thurston described the event as Toledo’s kickoff to both the festival season and summer.
“This is the only neighborhood parade, neighborhood festival,” Mr. Thurston said. “Being in a neighborhood, an entire neighborhood, and celebrating that, celebrating our kind of shared sense of place — that’s a big thing about this festival.”
The festival wraps up today with musical performances, house tours, and other activities.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
First Published June 5, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
