In 2004, the Marblehead Village Council along with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources held the first Daisy Day event at the preserve. Local and State officials were on hand to celebrate the Lakeside Daisy Preserve Open House. Naturalists were at the site during the day to give visitors tours and information about the flower and the preserve.
The following year Marblehead Council members formed a Daisy Day Committee who took on the task of building a festival event around the blooming of the Lakeside Daisy. Each year the committee has added additional events to the schedule to create a day of celebration and fun, centered on Marblehead's own Lakeside Daisy.
Over the past year, the Marblehead Lakeside Daisy Committee filed for non-profit status with the State of Ohio and is now a state-recognized non-profit organization known as Daisy Day Inc. Recently the group filed the necessary paperwork to obtain 501c3 status from the Federal Government and is awaiting response.
This year's event will kick off at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 10; with the Marblehead Peninsula Lions Club Pancake Breakfast followed by The Marblehead Bank Daisy 5K Run/Walk at 9 a.m. Visitors are invited to the Marblehead Volunteer Fire Department Open House held during the Lions Club breakfast from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. Members of the MVFD will be offering fun for kids and fire truck rides during the open house. View the Lakeside Daisy in full bloom at the preserve on Alexander Pike with representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but remember the Pike is closed during the 5K Run/Walk for the safety of the participants.
Quarry tours, the most popular event will also run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for the hourly tours will be available at the information tent in James Park. This year the tours will load on the north side of James Park, location for the third annual vendors fair and children's games both open at 10 a.m. and run throughout the day. Over 30 vendors will be participating, including the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Marblehead. The Coast Guard will have a boat on display on the park.
Join us at 10:30 a.m. at the main tent in James Park for the opening ceremony with Marblehead's Mayor Jackie Bird and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Chief Steve Maurer our guest speakers. Next up, the Little Miss Daisy pageant begins at 11 a.m. with prizes being awarded to the top three entrants. Little Miss Daisy contestants will be judged by a panel of three. The contest is open to girls on the Marblehead Peninsula whose parents live or work on the peninsula. The girls must be age 4-6. At 2 p.m., Jeff Tyson of ODNR Division of Wildlife will also speak in the main tent.
The Knights of Columbus will be serving perch sandwiches in the pavilion from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chips and refreshments will also be available from the Peninsula Youth Baseball and Softball League.
New this year is the first annual Daisy Day Car Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A panel of judges will award money prizes to the first three places. Cost of the show is $15 in advance and $17 the day of the show.
or more information on the Daisy Day festivities, visit www.lakesidedaisy.com or call the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau at 419-734-4386. The day of the festival, stop by the information booth for a schedule of events and information on the area. We will not only have tickets for the quarry tours, which are FREE with donations being accepted, but we will have tickets for the Ben Richmond James Park Benefit Raffle and 50/50 tickets. The Richmond Park Raffle tickets are $10 each with a chance to win an original Ben Richmond oil painting valued at $2,900. All proceeds from Daisy Day are to be used for the James Park Improvement Fun. Donations to the fund are encouraged.
This festival is possible through sponsorship from The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, The Marblehead Bank and Lafarge NorthAmerica. As the festival's three main sponsors, they provide time, funds, resources and labor to ensure the success of the event. ODNR maintains the preserve on Alexander Pike and began the Daisy Day festival five years ago with a dedication and opening ceremony at the preserve. ODNR uses their resources to market the event and lend support through labor at the preserve and for festival setup. The Marblehead Bank is in its fourth year of sponsoring and organizing the Daisy 5K Run. This year they have displayed materials at their branch office and allowed us to sell the Richmond James Park Benefit Sale Tickets. They also help market the event and provide other services as needed. Lafarge North America makes the quarry tours possible by securing the buses and drivers and allowing the bus into the heart of the operation. Lafarge employee and Marblehead native Ted Dress serves as guide for the tours. Lafarge also assist the village maintenance department by patching Alexander Pike, hanging the banners, providing tents in the park, taking care of signage and ready the parking lot for visitors. They also provide the materials for the kids' games in James Park.
Determination, dedication and hard work are key to any successful organization. These words describe the members of the committee I have led the past year. By their care and concern for their community, their ability to work together, and the networks and relationships they have built within the community, they have proved to be invaluable to this event. I would like to take this opportunity to thank these members for all the time and effort given. Council members John Starcher, John McDonald, and Mary Glovinsky; Village Street/Maintenance Supervisor Bryan Lucas, Village Fiscal Officer Kim Watts, Marblehead Bank Vice President Lori Fletcher, Lafarge NorthAmerica Operations Manager Steve Dress, Ottawa County Visitors Bureau Sales and Events Manager Duane Myers, and Community Representative Cheryl Dress.
The committee would also like to thank the following groups for their assistance and involvement in Daisy Day 2008 - The Marblehead Volunteer Fire Department, The Village Police Department, Ben Richmond, The Marblehead Peninsula Lions Club, St. Joseph's Catholic Church Knights of Columbus, the U.S. Coast Guard Station, employees of Lafarge NorthAmerica, Danbury Local Schools, the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau staff, the Lighthouse Historical Society, the Benajah Wolcott Keeper's House, the Marblehead Lighthouse staff and Lakeside, the Chautauqua on Lake Erie.
We hope to see you, your family and friends this Saturday at the fifth annual Marblehead Lakeside Daisy Day.
Reba Bishoff
Marblehead Village Council
President Daisy Day Inc.
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