JEROMESVILLE – The village of Jeromesville is gearing up for a first-of-its kind festival, Blue and White Days, Aug. 24 and 25.
Mayor Randy Spade is brimming with excitement to help neighbors make community connections and to welcome former Jeromesville residents home.
“Blue and White Days is a celebration of the place we all call home, but we’re also celebrating that small-town-way-of-life,” Spade said. “I think a lot of people enjoy that quieter way of life, and we want to showcase that it’s not going away.
“We’re reinventing what it’s like to live in a small town, and we should show some spirit for that.”
Spade grew up in Jeromesville, went away to Kentucky for college, and then came back to his hometown. He joined the village council at age 25 and took on the role of mayor at 26.
“I want people to come home and see what’s changed, what’s stayed the same,” Spade said. “There’s a lot of people my age starting families and finding their first home, and I want to put Jeromesville on their radar so they know it’s an option to come home and help with its future.”
The weekend kicks off with a community cookout 6 p.m Friday at Lewis Memorial Park.
“It’s just everybody from the community getting together and sharing some time. One of our big focuses with Blue and White Days is bringing neighbors together, so we really want to support that sense of community and neighborliness,” Spade said.
Festivities continue all day Saturday, starting with a 9 a.m. pancake breakfast at the park.
The breakfast will be followed by an 11 a.m. dog show sponsored by Kayla’s K-9 Kuts & Kare, a new local dog grooming business.
At noon, the village will hold a ceremony to dedicate its brand new playground, which was picked out by members of the junior council, paid for by the village and installed last week.
Festival-goers won’t want to miss the parade, which begins at 2 p.m.
From 3 until 7 p.m., Space Walk will have inflatables set up for kids to enjoy.
Meanwhile, adults can take part in euchre and corn hole tournaments.
Three food trucks will be on hand, including Kona Ice, Grant’s Guac and Roll and MKD Concessions. Nouvelle Ere Wine and Art Studio of Wooster will offer a wine-tasting for adults over age 21 with ID.
There will also be a vendor row featuring local vendors including non-traditional businesses such as direct sales and home-based businesses.
“We understand that in today’s world, businesses of all sorts help the local economy thrive, so we wnat to bring them all out and showcase them to members of the community and visitors,” Spade said.
Cleveland-based band RadioActive will perform 6 to 8:30 p.m., followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
Blue and White Days was born out of a successful festival in the village last year, Spade said.
“The Lions Club had sponsored a summer festival for years, and last year we actually partnered with them to do Jeromefest,” he said. “It was such a great success that we felt like both organizations had a lot to offer and we wanted to offer more than one event to bring people back to Jeromesville throughout the summer.”
For Spade, Blue and White Days is just part of a new energy he sees throughout Ashland County, including in his village.
“It’s important for all the extremities in the county to show some vibrancy and resiliency and really get out there and show some energy,” he said. There’s so much going on in the city with (Mayor) Matt (Miller) at the helm. The heart is beating strong in Ashland County, and we want to make sure that while the heart’s beating strong, the extremities are too.
“So, this is a way for us to show Jeromesville has a renewed sense of energy and we’re ready to take on whatever challenges or opportunities are ahead of us.”
