Coming Saturday, July 27 to Headlands Beach State Park …
It’s the COOLEST party on Ohio’s LONGEST beach!!
Imagine our mile-long lakefront filled with colorful flying kites, amazing sand sculptures, beach music, strolling performers, kayaking, dancing and tents filled with children’s activities, arts vendors, and food. This is what we envision as the first event of this type comes to Ohio’s north coast.
This free, family-friendly, outdoor celebration will incorporate the arts with the elements of wind, water and sand to create an interactive event on Ohio’s longest natural beach.
The grounds will be enhanced with brightly colored, 17 foot tall Good Luck Banners, each decorated by the art students from the Mentor School System and kids from Mentor’s Day Camp program.
Watch Mentor students create BeachFest Banners.
Visitors can participate in a number of activities including kite flying, kite making classes, sand castle building, scavenger hunts, kayaking, sailing and paddle boarding. There will also be a boat parade, a variety of art projects, face painting, and the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Parade the Circle giant strolling performers.
No need to bring your own picnic — an array of food choices will be offered for sale by Lakeside Snacks (including a pig roast), Classic Kettle Corn, Real Frut, along with the new, Cater to You food truck.
A dozen vendors will line the paved path selling one of a kind beach glass jewelry, driftwood art and wreaths, wind chimes, sea shell jars, and beach-themed paintings, mosaic vases, and more. Vendors include: Glass Rocks by Design, Firestone Candles, Victoria Terifaj, Susan Schmitz, Tim Szakacs, Pamelamajama Jewels, Altered Nature, Glass that Rocks, Chance the Gardener, Deramics Ceramics Studio, Corrina Burgett, Down to Earth Pottery and The Kite Site.
Carl Jara, a Cleveland native and Grand Master and World Champion Sand Sculptor will be on the beach
building a massive and unique sand sculpture, while nonstop beach music entertains.
Weather permitting, you’ll even experience a fly over and parachute drop by the Ohio Powered Paragliders!
Kid-friendly activities will be provided by Mentor Recreation, Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites (OSEK), Fine Arts Association, Lake Metroparks, Cleveland Museum of Art, Mentor Public Library, Doug Smith and Spirit of America.
BeachFest Site Map and Beach Fest 4×9 rack card.
Music
Calypso Gypsies Steel Drum Band, 11 AM to 1 PM
WIXY 1260 Band, 1-3 PM
7 Mile Isle, 3-5 PM
X-ChromaTones, 5-7 PM
Jesse Webb DJ (on west beach during kite flying activities), 11 AM to 7 PM
West Beach Activities
- Kite flying demonstrations with OSEK’s quad and dual line sport kites
- Wind sprints (you stand still while the kites race in the sky)
- Mystery Ballet (this is kite flying to music)
- Kite decorating and kite making in the Kite Tent (kits available for $3)
- Scavenger Hunt on the beach
- Sailing instruction and jet ski demonstrations with water rescue team from Lake Metroparks and Mentor Fire Dive Team
- Stand up paddleboarding and kayaking
- Search for buried treasure
- Cleveland Museum of Art’s Parade the Circle performers stroll the beach with their giant puppets
- Amateur sand castle builders will get tips on building a better sand castle from sandcastle instructor, Doug Smith at 11:30 AM, 1 PM, 2:30 PM and 4 PM
- Watch the progress as World Champion Sand Sculptor Carl Jara creates an amazing sculpture
- Conga line, Limbo & Hula Hoop Contests
- Variety of kids games with Mentor Recreation, including Giant Parachute, Pool Noodle Obstacle Course, Marble Launch, Carry & Fill Relay, Dig to China Race, Mini Golf, Shell Game and Musical Towels
- Flower Clown, Strolling Juggler
- Create giant bubbles with the Science Guy
- Judging of Amateur Sand Castle Building Contest at 6:30 PM
- Mentor Fire Water Safety Trailer and Lake County Marine Patrol Boats
- Mentor Library sand craft projects
- Fine Arts Association painted community mural project
- Sand craft project and painted Lighthouse Bookmark with Mentor Public Library
- Face painting by Sadie Jane and Tim
- Experience artificial snow with the Science Guy
- Purchase an autographed copy of Doug Smith’s book, “A Day at the Beach: How Absolutely Anyone Can Successfully Build Sand Castles and Build Even Better Beach Memories”
This premier event is presented by the City of Mentor and Headlands Beach State Park with the amazing support from our partners: the Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites, Lake Metroparks, Doug Smith, Mentor Schools’ Art Students, and Spirit of America national safe boating program.
We appreciate the generosity of the following sponsors who are also making this event possible: Lake County Visitors Bureau Arts & Culture Grant, Lake Health, STERIS Corporation, Lake National Bank, Mentor Economic Assistance Corporation, Great Lakes Publishing, The News-Herald and Mentor Patch. The BeachFest logo was created with a small grant received from the Lake County Visitors Bureau.
For more information, please email the Mentor Public Information Office or call (440) 974-5794.
