When it became known that the downtown bridges would be out for the 1997 Heritage Festival, it would have been easy to think about canceling the 1997 event. Frost Parkway, which provided the space for perhaps half of the downtown displays, would not be available. The traffic problems would surely be insurmountable
The trustees and the committees met and wisely chose to proceed with the 1997 festival. They recognized that the momentum and committee structure would be lost if one year were canceled. The result of that decision was perhaps the most outstanding festival yet, and great enthusiasm for the 1998 festival exists.
Those that should be given credit are the trustees: Judy Smith, president, Rosalie Adams, Ken Egbert, Jr., David Einsel, Philip Engle, Florence Grine, Keith Hodkinson, Deni Pfaff, Donna Uhlenhake, Trish Valentine, and Ron White. Rayella Engle and Cora Bour served as co-chairs Of the Heritage Village. Tom Perin was the general chair of the downtown area of the festival. There were forty-nine chair persons and their committees that covered every aspect of the festival.
Thousands of hours of volunteer labor are involved. The major committees meet several times a year. Licensing and permits have to be checked, and allotment of spaces is a time consuming job. Many vendors and performers require electricity. Entertainment involves major time and problems, also money. Garbage collection and handling has to be dealt with. Toilets have to be secured. The parade route and the personnel and the marching order require a lot of attention. Firewood for the campers and certain crafts has to be brought in at the Village. Several bales of straw are required. Many city and county workers are involved before, during, and after the festival. Rayella Engle with Cora Bour oversee the hundreds of details at the Heritage Village. Tom Perin does a great job with the downtown area of the Festival. They are already working on the 1998 festival. They deserve our thanks.
The Heritage Festival has to be self-supporting and generate a large operating budget. Contributions are an important part of that budget. Some people complain about the donation required for entry to the Living History Village but those donations are a most important part of the budget. Where else could one go for such outstanding entertainment for $2.00?
To illustrate a small part of our Heritage Festival, I choose to describe the free shuttle service since I have been its chairperson for the last three years. That service moved 5767 passengers for 1997. This year eight vans were contributed by four of the Tiffin new car dealers: Buck Pontiac, Cline Oldsmobile-Cadillac, Coppus Motors, and Tiffin Ford. The vans were first class and included some ‘97 models, and two ‘98 models. Pit Stop Sunoco provided gas for this fleet and Riley’s Car Wash courtesy cleaned the vans before they were returned to the dealers. To operate this portion of the shuttle, three Tiffin clubs, Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary, each contributed 30 drivers and starters, and the Old Fort Lions Club contributed 8 drivers.
The Seneca County Opportunity Center, Seneca County Commission on Aging, Seneca County Agency Transportation, and Mercy Hospital provided wheelchair accessible vans.
The St. Francis Bus and the Allen Eiry vehicle were available for short periods of time. British Petroleum provided gasoline for these vehicles, and volunteer drivers were provided by their organizations with arrangements made by Pat DeMonte.
Over 300 hours of volunteer labor were involved in this free shuttle service, and that is only one aspect of the Heritage Festival. It is only natural that the Tiffin, Fostoria, and Seneca County merchants and businesses have an interest in creating good will in our community. Likewise, it is fitting that we have good relations with them and do our shopping with them. Both parties can be mutually benefited by this positive relationship.
Many of the things for the Festival are contributed by our merchants and businesses. They are not contributed by those in Findlay, Fremont, or Toledo.
If at all possible, we should deal with our local people. At an average cost of 20 cents a mile, it costs $10.00 to drive to Findlay plus one-and-a-half hours of extra time. Our Tiffin and area businesses and organizations contributed an estimated value of $2160 toward the free shuttle service for the 1997 Tiffin-Seneca Heritage Festival.
-- Percy