Experience the Woollybear Festival’s Warm and Fuzzy Tradition

Each fall, downtown Vermilion turns into a sea of black and orange as families gather for one of Ohio’s quirkiest traditions. Inspired by the fuzzy woollybear caterpillar — whose bands are said to predict the severity of winter — the Woollybear Festival blends Ohio folklore with hometown charm, playful competition and lots of furry fun.

In 1972, legendary Fox 8 meteorologist and animal advocate Dick Goddard proposed creating a community fundraiser centered around the woollybear in nearby Birmingham, Ohio. The event quickly outgrew the town and moved to Vermilion in 1981. The Woollybear Festival has since grown into one of Ohio’s largest fall celebrations and honors Goddard’s lifelong passion for animal welfare. The event is set for Oct. 4.

Festival goers are encouraged to celebrate and adopt creatures big and small from local rescue organizations. Pet owners also bring their companions for the annual Woollybear Look-Alike Contest, where everything from dogs to snakes to hamsters don fuzzy woollybear costumes.

Equally entertaining is the Woollybear 500, where kids race woollybear caterpillars they’ve collected down a historic wooden track that’s been part of the festival since the beginning. Preliminary races begin at 10 a.m., with winners returning for the afternoon championship to crown the day’s fastest crawler.

At 1 p.m., a parade rolls through downtown with marching bands, community groups, floats and familiar Fox 8 personalities. Live entertainment, 100 local artisans and nearly 40 food vendors fill out the festival lineup. The day concludes with a delivery of the winter forecast based on the famous caterpillar folklore.

“Come early and plan on staying for the full day, because it goes by so fast,” says Sandy Coe, executive director of the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce. “The whole city is morphed into a woollybear craze.” Victory Park, 687 Main St., Vermilion 44089, woollybearfestival.com 

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