PERRYSBURG – The annual Harrison Rally Day bash, celebrating the community’s arts and businesses, will be
held this weekend.
The festival steps off at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday in downtown Perrysburg and lasts until 5 that evening.
Sponsored by the Perrysburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Perrysburg Area Arts Council, the event
offers a fully day of entertainment – including shopping, live music, tasty treats and games – for the
entire family.
The festival, which spans Louisiana Avenue from Front Street to Indiana Avenue and extends for about half
a block down East and West Second Street, is expected to draw anywhere from 10,000-15,000 people
depending on the weather.
A parade will usher in the event at 10 a.m. with roughly 50 entries. It will begin on Louisiana Avenue at
Seventh Street, travel north on Louisiana Avenue, turn east onto Front Street and then proceed south on
Elm Street.
The marketplace area will feature more than 230 booths for artists, merchants, churches, clubs and
service organizations along Louisiana Avenue. This year, there are 22 juried artists and about 50
artisans.
"We bill this as Perryburg’s largest community festival," said Laurie Rice, executive assistant
at the chamber. "The chamber of commerce likes to think of it as pretty much a large trade show
with all the businesses that we have involved, and we’re promoting business in Perrysburg. The arts
council, on the other hand, is promoting area art in all their forms. So, between the two, it’s a
wonderful mix and it’s a partnership that’s been going on for years and years and years. And it works
very well."
The festival is also known to past attendees for its "Taste of Perrysburg" showcase of
restaurants and food vendors. Local vendors participating this year include: Buffalo Wild Wings,
Domino’s Pizza, Ed & Mitzi’s Uptown Diner, The Flying Bean, Fricker’s, Marco’s Pizza, Nedley’s
Ice Cream & Coffee Café, The Original Gino’s Pizza, Super Suppers-Perrysburg/Maumee and Tea Tree
Asian Bistro.
Several area service groups are also participating in the "Taste of Perrysburg," such as:
Debhouse Cookies, The Exchange Club of Perrysburg, the Perrysburg Kiwanis Club and Relay for Life.
Festival-goers can also sample a host of other treats ranging from raspberry shortcake, Greek gyros and
kettle korn to German roasted nuts, snow cones and more.
The main stage, located on the corner of Lousiana and Second streets, will feature: Kentucky Chrome, 11
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Tonal Temptations, 12:30 to 1; Haywire, 1-2:30; Great Lakes Tae Kwon Do
demonstration, 2:30-3; Boffo, 3-4:30; and the Perrysburg High School Dancers, 4:30-5.
On the youth stage, are: Fritz, 12 p.m.; Pitch Red, at 1; One Way Ticket, at 2; and Gazebo, at 3.
Children’s activities also will be provided at Third Street and Louisiana throughout the festival day.
Beginning at 4 a.m., Louisiana Avenue will be closed to traffic from Front Street to Indiana Avenue. East
Second Street and West Second Street will also be closed in the blocks closest to Louisiana Avenue.
Streets will reopen after the festival at approximately 6 in the evening.
Lousiana will also be closed farther south from around 8-11 a.m. during the parade.
All city parking lots in the downtown area will be open.
Following the festival, the chamber will host a Rockin’ at RiverPlace parking lot party at the Shoppes at
RiverPlace, located at Ohio 25 and Eckel Junction Road from 8 p.m. to 12:30 in the morning. The band
Velvet Jones will take the stage and play party music throughout the night. Pizza from The Original
Gino’s as well as beer and other refreshments will be available. There is a $5 admission charge, and
attendees must be 21 years of age or older with valid identification.
The Perrysburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Perrysburg Area Arts Council can be contacted at (419)
874-9147 and (419) 873-2787 respectively for more information.
