Main Street in Harrod was closed to traffic Saturday as vendors set up shop for this year’s Pork Rind Festival.
Elijah Knodell | For The Lima News
HARROD — An annual tradition returned to Harrod this weekend as the village gathered to celebrate this year’s Pork Rind Heritage Festival. It has remained a fixture in the community for more than 30 years since the inaugural festival in 1989, which marked Harrod’s centennial celebration.
Smiles abounded as families packed the streets of downtown Harrod on Saturday to enjoy the sunny summer weather and take part in all the festivities. There was no shortage of activities throughout the two-day festival, including live music, a fireworks show, a classic car cruise-in, a parade, helicopter tours, a watermelon-eating contest and more.
And of course, there were plenty of pork rinds to be had, supplied by the nearby Rudolph Foods facility. Festival-goers had a wide selection of fair food to choose from in addition to the pork rinds, including sausage and sauerkraut, hamburgers, french fries and ice cream cones to beat the heat.
On Saturday, dozens of classic cars lined up along Main Street for the Cruise-In Car Show. Lionel and Janice Deslands, of Lima, came to the festival to show off their 1998 Mustang GT convertible. They said that community events like this help make Allen County a lively place to live.
“We love it very much,” Janice said. “We used to live in northern Vermont. We didn’t have a lot of things like this going on; it was very rural. So when we moved here, we liked being out and getting to see people and getting to meet new people.”
The festival also featured plenty to do for families, a chance for kids to get outdoors and stay active during their summer break.
Julie Walsh, of Lima, said she enjoyed the chance to spend quality time with her family.
“This has been a great time, a nice family time. I brought my grandkids and my mom,” Walsh said, adding that it was her first time at the festival as she was visiting her sister.
“I’ve taken my grandkids to ride the rides, which they loved, and we just got corn dogs and fries for the kids,” Walsh continued. “It’s a nice break for the kids. You know, they’re out of school, but you have to keep them busy. So for them to do pony rides, swings and the obstacle course, it’s a lot of fun.”
The high turnout and enthusiastic crowd made the importance of the festival to the Harrod community evident.
Elijah Knodell is a part-time writer for The Lima News. Reach him at [email protected].
