'Peak small-town living' on offer at Carey Fest

CAREY — Mark Armstrong, president of the Carey Fest organizing committee, said Carey Fest started over 44 years ago as a way to bring the community together. "Town festivals were kind of becoming a thing," Armstrong said. Now, almost half a century later, a lot of those festivals have stopped happening. "A lot of those festivals have gone by the wayside," he said. "We've been fortunate that the Carey community really supports this." Though there is some money that carries over every year, Armstrong reports festivals like Carey Fest usually do have to rely on sponsors and volunteers to really "make it go. "We take a lot of pride in the festival and we can only hope it goes on for another 44 years." A lot of people think Carey Fest just comes together, said Armstrong, when in reality it is the dedication of the committee that makes the festival successful. "There's probably eight or nine of us that are really willing to put in the work," he said. "We meet once a month … There are a lot of moving parts to this." Newly appointed leader of the planning committee, Armstrong said his goals moving forward are to provide the best possible entertainment for the fest but also give back to the community with charitable donations as much as possible. Those donations currently include a $1,000 scholarship for the Carey Fest Queen. This year's candidates for the title include Aubrey Neiderkohr, Presley Hartley, Elly Zimmerly and Sophia Klein, all of whom will be Carey High School seniors this fall. The winner will be crowned at 6 p.m. Friday at John Carey Park. Kicking off the fest 5 p.m. Thursday at Waterworks Park is a fun fair of pony rides, train rides and food trucks. At 5:30, the junior King and Queen will be crowned. Six o'clock brings the opening of a petting zoo sponsored by the Carey FFA, a business showcase, T-ball and softball games. A cheerleading competition and a birds of prey exhibit by the Plank Road Raptor Center will begin at 6:30 p.m. Evening entertainment Thursday will include the Fostoria Community Band, Rick Donley and The Amazing Bubble Brothers. Fireworks will cap the festivities and are scheduled to begin at dusk. Friday's activities kick off at 4 p.m. in downtown Carey with games, a performance by the Carey high school band, crowning of Carey Fest Queen, a tractor pull and musical performances by Jimmy Buffet tribute band Parrots of the Caribbean, My Cousin Eddie, Donnie Ray and Sweet Umbra, ending with a karaoke contest starting at 9 p.m. The final day of the fest includes a parade at 3 p.m., a corn hole tournament, games, a canine demonstration, a twilight trot and 5k, a fiery performance by Volcanic Lioness, DJ T-Town, Rick Donley and headliner Conner Smith at 9 p.m. in the beer garden. "There's something for everybody," Armstrong said. "It's peak small-town living."