Woollybear Festival Celebrates 54 Years with Thousands of Attendees

The 54th annual Woollybear Festival drew thousands of attendees to Vermilion on Sunday, continuing a beloved fall tradition that began in the early 1970s. The event, founded by late Fox 8 weather forecaster Dick Goddard, is billed as the largest one-day festival in Ohio. It features a variety of activities, including costume contests for both people and pets, live music, food vendors, a parade, and caterpillar races centered around the woollybear caterpillar.

The festival’s highlight is the woollybear caterpillar race, where participants inspect the insects to predict winter weather. Sandy Coe, executive director of the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, explained the tradition: “It’s the width of the rust or orange color of the band. The wider the band, the less severe the winter is going to be.” Young festivalgoer Braxton Helzer enthusiastically joined the caterpillar races, stating, “It’s really fun racing woollybears and stuff. I just love woollybears a lot.”

Among the attendees were Jack and Debby Cannon, who traveled from Kentucky to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary at the festival, the same place they first met three decades ago. “It’s where we met 30 years ago. Right here at the Woollybear Festival,” Jack Cannon said. Debby Cannon shared, “It reminds you of home. It is home. It’s good to be back.”

Now in its fifth decade, the festival has become a multi-generational community event, drawing families back year after year. Coe noted the enduring legacy of the gathering, saying, “I always hear people say, ‘I remember. I remember when.’ They have all these different memories, now people my age have their grandkids here. It’s a legacy we want people to have fun and that’s exactly what they do.”