Description

The Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, partnering with FOX 8 Cleveland, is pleased to announce that the 2021 Woollybear Festival will be held Sunday, October 10th in Vermilion, OH. This year’s event marks the first without beloved Fox 8 Meteorologist Dick Goddard, who’s passion for helping animals was the driving force behind the event. “Although Fox 8 meteorologist Dick Goddard gained his angel wings in August 2020” Director Sandra Coe commented, “He would want us to move forward with his legacy, the Annual Woollybear Festival. We’ve consulted with the Health Department, and they have given us the green light to safely resume this great family event. We are honored and proud to do just that.” The festival originated in the small hamlet of Birmingham, OH, just south of Vermilion, where it began as a PTA fundraiser in 1973. The first Woollybear Festival attendance was 200 strong, and within five years, it grew to 10,000. In 1981, due to its popularity and growth, it moved to Vermilion, where it has been celebrated since. The festival now boasts an attendance of more than 100,000 people, the State of Ohio's largest one-day festival. “The fact that we are celebrating the 49th annual Woollybear Festival is incredible to think about. ( last year, the 48th festival wasn’t held due to Covid restrictions ). We’re overjoyed that we have an opportunity to celebrate Mr. Goddard’s life, his passion for animals, and his passion for community alongside Fox 8, our sponsorship partners, and the great city of Vermilion.”