The Vermilion High School marching band marches in the Woollybear Parade along state Route 60 in Vermilion. (Photo by Chuck Humel, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

VERMILION — Forklore forecaster Bud Summers weathered the estimated 125,000-strong crowd’s groans of disappointment when he predicted a hard winter at the 39th annual Woollybear Festival on Sunday in Vermilion’s Exchange Park.

“Everything, as I see it, it looks like we’re gonna have a hard winter,” Summers, the festival’s third forecaster, said. “It looks to me like we’re gonna have a white Christmas.”

Brooke Yontz, 4, of Vermilion, rides Joshua, a camel at the Woollybear Festival. The camel was owned by the Hole in the Wall Farm Animal Rescue Inc. (Photo by Chuck Humel, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

Longtime meteorologist and local celebrity Dick Goddard with Fox Channel 8 hosted this year’s festival as he’s done for the past 38 years.

“So … it’s going to get cold … and then it’s going to snow,” he joked.

Folklore holds that the smaller the orange stripe on a woolly bear’s back, the harsher the winter will be.

Following the weather prediction, nine woolly bear finalists raced for the gold — a trophy, a $50 Toys “R” Us gift card and candy.

Seven-year-old Elijah Cooper came out on top with a 32-second final heat as Waffle crossed the finish line ahead of challenger Parrot who’d come all the way from Michigan.

“I feel great,” Elijah said.

Tragedy was narrowly avoided as Parrot took a 5-foot fall through the cracks of center stage, but 7-year-old Molly O’Leary of Brighton, Mich., was happy when Parrot was found a few minutes later.

Molly comes to the festival every year and visits her grandparents while in town. She was too shy to speak after the Woollybear 500, but Molly said through a family spokeswoman that she was glad Parrot was safe and sound.

Other winners Sunday included a family of three girls, 4-year-old Haiden Clark, 2-year-old Chloe Clark and 1-year-old Haylee Clark, of Vermilion, who will share the Woollybear Queen Crown for 2009.

Seven Hills brothers Shawn Kessie, 5, and Trevor Kessie, 7, will also share the crown as Woollybear King for 2009.

Four-year-old Aryssa Horne of Plymouth dressed her poodle/Pomeranian mix dog up as a scarecrow, put on a matching costume and walked away with the Best Pet Prize.

It’s this sense of family and community that brings Goddard back year after year.

“It is a family fun, free event and you can’t get many of those anymore,” Goddard said.

The festival is sponsored by Channel 8 and the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce.

It’s billed as the largest one-day festival in the state and Chamber President Pam Cooper said the 125,000 estimate of attendees is probably conservative. No one can say for sure, however, because tickets aren’t sold.

“People were parking as far away as a mile away to get here,” Cooper said. “You take a little town of 11,000 people and fill it with 125,000 and we’re bursting at the seams.”

Mayor Jean Anderson said that’s OK with her.

“I think this has been off the chart as far as the people, the activities, the parade go,” she said. “I think everybody has come to enjoy the Woollybear Festival and the events, the food and the comraderie. It’s quite a tradition.”

More than 120 vendor booths filled Exchange Park and parking was virtually nonexistent anywhere near the parade, which lasted three and a half hours and included more than 15 marching bands and floats from nonprofit groups, organizations and businesses.

“We’re proud of it,” said Chamber Director Louise Woehrle, adding their booth saw visitors from all over the state and as far away as South Africa. “It’s gone fantastically well. We’re amazed it’s getting so big.”

Cooper agreed it’s shocking how the festival has grown from around 2,000 attendees at the first festival held in Birmingham. But no one’s complaining — unless it’s about the parking.

“It’s a great event for our city,” Cooper said. “The businesses and nonprofits do great. This is one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had.”

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

Expect candy apples and much, much more at this weekend's Apple Festival. (CT file photo.)

Elyria Apple Festival

Celebrate fall’s favorite fruit this weekend in Ely Square as the Elyria Apple Festival marks its 29th year. There’ll be activities, entertainment and, of course, apples. Some of the apple-y highlights include apple pie judging, apple-pie-eating and apple-bobbing contests for kids, cider-making demonstrations and crowning of the Apple Festival queen. Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, with a few events, like Sunday’s 5-K and car show getting under way before the festival grounds officially open. Get more info and the festival schedule here.

Woollybear Festival

Pumpkin the Daschund in full woollybear costume at last year's festival. (CT file photo.)

If you’d rather mark the changing season with a furry caterpillar, head to Vermilion for Sunday’s annual Woollybear Festival. The fest, called the biggest one-day festival in Ohio, features Fox 8 meteorologist Dick Goddard. The big day includes entertainment, races for kids, woolly bears and one of Ohio’s biggest parades. Finals of the Woollybear 500 caterpillar race are at 5 p.m., as is the official Woollybear winter weather prediction. (Folklore says the severity of the coming winter can be predicted by the amount of black on the caterpillar.) Read more here.

Hay wagon rides and corn maze

Visit the Lorain County Metro Parks’ Carlisle Reservation for fall hay wagon rides through equestrian center or weave your way through a corn maze noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays this weekend through Oct. 25. Wagon rides, which leave every 15 minutes, are free, and a trip through the corn maze costs just $1. Refreshments will be sold by the 4-H Homegrowers Club. Call ahead, (440)458-5121, if weather is questionable. Info: www.loraincountymetroparks.com.

Oberlin Doggie Doo

Have fun with your favorite furry friend and help out less fortunate animals at Saturday’s Oberlin Doggie Doo and Pooch Parade. The “doo” is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Tappan Square, with the pooch parade at 3 p.m. The day will include vendors, entertainment, demonstrations and rescue groups with animals up for adoption. Awards will be handed out for best singing and dancing dogs, best trick and costumes for one, two or groups of dogs. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome. Info: www.oberlindoggiedoo.org.

Raices Latinas Puerto Rican dance troupe.

Latino Fest

National Hispanic Heritage Month got under way this week, and our own International City will celebrate with a Latino Fest Sunday at Lorain’s Lakeview Park. The celebration of Hispanic culture, food, music and art goes from noon to 8 p.m. Performers include Justo Saborit and Lorain’s own Raices Latinas and Alma de Mexico dance troupes as well as La Isla del Encanto, Mariachi Mexico and Voices de la Calle from Cleveland. Photography from Joseph Carrion and samples of Puerto Rican and Mexican artwork will be on display. Food will be available to purchase from Mexican Mutual and Puerto Rican Home clubs.

Cheer on the Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are in the Frontier League championship in their inaugural season, and they’ll be home for Game 3 of the best-of-five series Sunday. The game is 5:05 p.m. vs. the River City Rascals at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon. The Crushers were shut out in the series opener Thursday night in O’Fallon, Mo., and have a chance to tie it up in Friday’s Game 2 (at 7:05 p.m.), also in Missouri. Don’t feel like going Sunday? Listen to the live Webcast of that (or any other Crushers game) at LakeErieCrushers.com.

Party in the Park

Band music, cornhole, hot dogs, popcorn and a chance to dunk teachers or administrators are all part of Saturday’s Party in the Park in North Ridgeville. Sponsored by North Ridgeville PTAs and Citizens for Better Schools, the event takes place noon to 3 p.m. at South Central Park. Read more here.

Engine show

LaGrange Engine Club members will display all types of farm equipment, including steam traction engines, portable steam power plants, farm tractors, garden tractors, small gas engines and more 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Lorain County Fairgrounds. Info: www.lagrangeengineclub.com.

Try lawn bowling

Every wonder what the grassy square behind the Lakeview Park Easter basket is for? Find out when you give lawn bowling a try 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Lakeview.

Fall arts fest

More than 100 artists and crafters will exhibit and sell their wares 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Harvest of the Arts in front of Town Hall in Wellington. A folk music band will entertain, and kettle corn and mums will be available to purchase. A quilt will be raffled off is to honor the 40th anniversary of the classic childen’s book “The Very Hungary Catepillar” by Eric Carle. Info: (440) 647-2120 or http://wellingtonfriends.tripod.com/.

They are not forgotten

Remember those who have served our country on POW-MIA Day Friday. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee of Lorain County raise a POW-MIA flag and read the names of 79 Ohioans that never came home at 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Community Center in Lorain.

Theater

• ’40s musical cabaret, French Creek Nature Center (Sheffield), 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, cost: $10, info: (440) 949-5200 or www.loraincountymetroparks.com.
• “And Then There Were None,” Workshop Players’ Theatre-in-the-Round (Amherst), 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, cost: $12, info: (440) 988-5613.

Farmers markets

• Elyria: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Cedar and Broad streets.
• Grafton: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Grafton Town Hall parking lot, 960 Main St.
• Lorain: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Black River Landing.
• Oberlin: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 85 S. Main St. (next to Oberlin City Hall, parking at the Public Library).
• Vermilion: 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Victory Park.
• Wellington: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, North Main and Taylor streets.

To submit events for future “What to do this weekend” articles, contact Rona Proudfoot, 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.

ELYRIA — The Murray Ridge Center softball team is heading to Oregon, Ohio, this weekend to compete in the Special Olympics State Softball Tournament.

The team qualified for the state tournament after defeating Ashtabula County 22-2 in the North Sectional Tournament late last month. It will play Saturday at the William P. Coontz Complex, with the first game scheduled for 9 a.m., followed by a second game at 1 p.m.

Hector Lozano, a player for Murray Ridge School, belts a line drive in practice Thursday. The catcher is Steve Cruz while Mike Narvaez oversees the practice. (Photo by Chuck Humel, The Chronicle-Telegram.)

“Each player has trained hard all season, and they have been great sportsmen,” said Mike Narvaez, the team’s coach. “They are really looking forward to the state tournament.”

The team finished the regular season at 5-3 in Division I, playing area counties such as Geauga, Stark and Erie. Two of the losses, however, came at the hands of the team’s first opponent on Saturday, Erie County.

Murray Ridge Recreation Manager Judy Hartung said the team, which features 13 players from Elyria, Lorain and Grafton, has been working hard all summer, practicing two times a week since July.

She also said that winning the state championship will take some effort.

“Once we get to state, it is going to be hard to win the whole thing,” Hartung said. “There are some good teams in the south that we’ll have to get through — in addition to the team we have already lost twice to.”

Narvaez, who is assisted by Vanessa McKissick, is looking forward to the challenge, this time with a full roster.

“The first time we played them we were short a few players, the second time, we were missing our shortstop and first baseman,” he said.

He also thinks getting off to a good start is important.

“We have to stop them in the first inning, both times we handicapped them with seven runs,” he said.
Narvaez said that teamwork and sportsmanship have been a focus this year.

“It’s really been a team effort; we’ve worked together, pumped each other up, and taken the wins with the losses,” Narvaez said.

Hartung agreed.

“It has been a fun season, we have played together with everybody on board,” she said.

Team member Charles Johnson Jr., said the team has put in the work and is looking forward to the state tournament.

“Our team has worked very hard this year,” he said. “Everybody is so excited to g oto the state tournament.”

Johnson should know what it takes to succeed; he was a member of the basketball team that won the state championship last season.

Hartung said that there is not a national tournament for the state champions, but that a couple of players from the championship team may be selected to play on a national team.

Special Olympics Ohio holds eight state-level championships, serving more than 18,000 citizens with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Athletes strive to embrace the Special Olympics oath, “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Contact Rob Swindell at 329-7155 or ctnews@chroniclet.com.

LaGrange police

Friday, Sept. 11
4:10 p.m. — 190 block Parklane, a 16-year-old boy was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia after his mother found several items in his room.

Saturday, Sept. 12
5 p.m. — Liberty Street, Keystone Middle School, juveniles were seen throwing old desks, chairs and tables in the parking lot. The maintenance man yelled at them and they left.
6 p.m. — Sunoco, a male and female were heard arguing. They had just broken up and the female was yelling.

Grafton police

Tuesday, Sept. 8
7:09 a.m. — Mechanic Street, a resident was complaining about workers at the mill working too early. Officers responded and the men said they would take a coffee break.
4:45 p.m. — Chamberlain Road, a woman thought she was being stalked by a gang.

Friday, Sept. 11
9:54 a.m. — 900 block Main St., Stokley’s General Store had a broken front window.
2:01 p.m. — 800 block Mechanic St., a woman said she was tired of neighbors throwing garbage in her trash bins.
5:55 p.m. — Cleveland Street, a man was found sleeping next to the train tracks. He was advised he not to sleep there.
6:19 p.m. — Main Street, an employee from Rite Aid called to report that she saw a child left in a car. The officer found the owner of the car and told her she is not allowed to leave a child in a car.
7:52 p.m. — 1000 block Wabash, a daughter left her father’s house because she was upset she did not receive more money from him in honor of her birthday.

Saturday, Sept. 12
4:32 p.m. — 900 block Oak St., a woman wanted the juveniles in her neighborhood to move their football game down the road because she had seen the ball hit wires and she did not want the power to go out.
9:01 p.m. — Elm Street, juveniles were hiding in bushes and jumping out in front of cars.