Woollybear Festival facts for kids
The Woollybear Festival is a super fun, family-friendly event held every fall in Vermilion, Ohio. This town is right on the beautiful Lake Erie. The festival started way back in 1973 and is now one of Ohio's biggest one-day parties!
Imagine over 100,000 people coming together! A highlight is the woolly bear costume contest. Kids and even pets dress up like the fuzzy woolly bear caterpillar. The festival usually happens around October 1st on a Sunday. It's always on a day when the Cleveland Browns football team isn't playing at home.
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Discover the Festival's Beginnings
The idea for the Woollybear Festival came from Dick Goddard. He was a very famous weatherman for WJW-TV in Cleveland. Dick Goddard loved the woolly bear caterpillar. He knew about the old stories connecting these fuzzy creatures to winter weather.
How Woolly Bears Predict Winter
People have long believed that woolly bear caterpillars can predict how harsh winter will be. After the caterpillars hatch in the fall, people look at their bands. The story says that if a caterpillar has more black bands, the winter will be tough. If it has more orange bands, the winter will be mild. This is a fun piece of folklore!
Moving to Vermilion
The very first festival in 1973 attracted about 2,000 people. By the eighth year, about 15,000 people were coming! This was too many for the small town of Birmingham. So, the organizers looked for a new home. Out of 13 towns that wanted to host, Vermilion was chosen. It has been the festival's home ever since.
Experience the Woollybear 500 Race
One of the most exciting parts of the festival is the "Woollybear 500" race! This is a super funny and unique race. The police and fire chiefs from Vermilion pick their favorite woolly bears to compete.
How the Race Works
The woolly bears are carefully chosen by the Vermilion Chamber. The details about how these tiny racers are trained are kept secret! Professionals from TV-8 watch over the race to make sure everything is fair. Don't worry, no woolly bears are ever hurt during these fun races!
A Pause in 2020
In 2020, the Woollybear Festival had to take a break. It was the first time the event was canceled since it began. This happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the festival was back the next year, bringing joy to everyone again!
