This year's Festival of the Fish to be 'Offer You Can't Refuse'

VERMILION — It's Father's Day weekend and in this lakefront town that can only mean one thing: Are you ready to rock? That's what organizers of this year's annual Festival of the Fish have in mind, kicking off summer with three days of fireworks, bands, parades on land and water, pageants and midways. The theme for this year, the 60th Festival of Fish, is "The Codfather — An Offer You Can't Refuse." The festival is trying out a new schedule this year, said Sandy Coe, executive director of the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event. The midway will open later on Friday, from 3 to 11 p.m., "to accommodate people, give everybody a chance to get home from work and get ready to come up here," she said, and then open earlier on the weekend, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. But the festival doesn't just happen on the midway. Visitors are always welcome to start the weekend on a Zen note with Serenity Beach Yoga at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Main Street Beach. The royalty pageant kicks off at 3 p.m. Friday at the main stage, and the traditional opening night act, Disco Inferno will be back from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday. Fireworks will close out the night, starting at dusk, over Lake Erie, with viewing from the festival grounds or Main Street Beach. Saturday starts off with the sandcastle contest at Main Street Beach at 9 a.m. and at 11 a.m. at the main stage will be a new event — the Barkfather Dog Costume contest. A play on this year's theme, guests are invited to bring their canine companions in their best "Barkfather"-inspired get-up. Register behind the main stage between 10 and 11 a.m. "There is no registration free, but the Humane Society of Erie County will be there with some dogs for adoption and any donations will go to them, and they can dress up in the theme and win an award," Coe said. TK and the Brass Tacks Band will perform at 3 p.m. and at 8 p.m. Boaterhead, a yacht rock band, will take the stage. The Crazy Craft Regatta is at 1 p.m and the Lighted Boat Parade is at dusk, about 9:30 p.m. The traditional Father's Day parade begins at noon Sunday, and this year's honorary grand marshal is Larry Bettcher. Fusion Live, an interactive band, will perform at 1:30 p.m. Coe said organizers have tracked down alumni from Vermilion High School that have grown up with the festival and will serve as guest emcees for the Father's Day parade and Crazy Crazy Regatta and Lighted Boat Parade in honor of its milestone 60th year. "Hopefully if the weather holds out — it is Ohio — we expect to be jam-packed," she said.