Three-year-old Maia Starr Walker and her dad Jason Walker dance to the music of Big Nasty at the 2007 ComFest in Goodale Park.
Credit: Lantern file photo
Love, leaf and labor are at the center of ComFest’s theme of “Harmony and Humanity” this weekend.
The 42nd annual community festival, known to be the largest volunteer-run and administered fest in the United States, is set to occupy Goodale Park Friday through Sunday.
The festival’s zeitgeist this year is defined by marriage equality (love), marijuana legalization in Ohio (leaf) and the revival of the labor movement (labor). Not only will the slogan plaster the back of T-shirts and beer mugs at the festival, but it will also provide as the “spirit and purpose” for many of the speakers set to lecture.
Eight stages and venues within the festival, including the “Bozo Stage,” “Gazebo Stage,” “I Wish You Jazz Stage,” “Offramp Stage,” “Solar Stage,” “Live Arts Stage,” “Healing Arts Tent” and “Peace Village,” will host musical performances, workshops, speakers, comedy and dance throughout the festival’s entirety.
Food, beer and wine and craft vendors will be sprinkled throughout the festival grounds. Funds from sales that aren’t used to offset the festival’s cost are spread throughout community programs. Alcohol not purchased at the festival is prohibited on the grounds. Coolers are also prohibited.
ComFest runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m Sunday. Alcohol sales end 30 minutes before closing each night. Admission is free. For more information and a schedule of the performances, visit ComFest’s website.
