Flooding prompts Lancaster Festival changes, but unites community
LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) -- It’s been a tough week for one local community after flooding forced the cancellation of shows at its beloved summer festival.
According to residents, the Lancaster Festival is a part of the fabric of the city. So, when two rounds of flash flooding did them in for the rest of the season at the Wendel Concert Stage, it rocked the whole community.
"I thought it was all over," resident John Larabee said. "I mean we had water in our basement."
However, Lancaster Festival organizers were not letting the fun end on that note.
"We thought, ‘Well, we have our professional orchestra here,’" Lancaster Festival Executive Director Deb Connell said. "We started the week with an amazing concert and so let's end the week with an amazing concert. We don't get to do exactly what we planned, but we do get to all be together."
A new free show was held Saturday at Fairfield Christian Church with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra.
"The festival is not what we planned it to be, but I think this makes up for it a little bit," Connell said.
John Larabee has been attending the festival since it began 41 years ago. He said when tragedy strikes the community, people stick together, Saturday night being proof of that.
"Look what we got for it," John Larabee said. "We got togetherness. I mean, as long as people are happy and they work together, they can do anything, even survive a storm."
John Larabee's wife Debra, who married into the Lancaster community, said she couldn't ask for a better place to call home.
"This community means a lot to me," Debra Larabee said. "Even in the face of the flooding that we've had, it’s been pretty bad, we're not going under with the water."
Cleanup is underway at the site. Connell said there is still a lot of mud and damage at the Wendel Concert Stage.
"We will be back," Connell said. "We don't know what that looks like yet, but the Lancaster Festival will be back in 2026."
According to Connell, they're at the point now where they're able to get their equipment and stage out to assess what repairs will be needed.