FireFish Festival in Lorain outlasted rain showers

A FireFish Festival sparked imaginations in between rain showers at Black River Landing in Lorain.

The large fish puppet burned on the Black River about 9:30 p.m. Until then, entertainment included artists sketching and painting with chalk, acrobats, urban dancers, belly dancers and fire twirlers.

James Levin, organizer of FireFish Festival, said he uses imagination for each event.

“These festivals are kind of like a painting, and the City of Lorain in this instance and this area is like a canvas,” Levin said. “And you can envision sort of an ideal, perfect way and like any artist, when things don’t go the way you think they should go, you can get frustrated.”
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He said earlier in the evening he was putting out fires that were invisible to everyone else.

“This is a messier work of art than it might have been, but the weather looks like it might be cooperating,” Levin said.

He appreciated a spirit of cooperation among Lorain people.

“I have true faith in how this city can become renewed,” Levin said. “There is something about the authenticity of Lorain and these old buildings and it’s architecture and the people here. And the fact that I could go up to Kenneth King Fisheries, who has been very busy bringing all of these walleye and perch in, and out of nowhere I can say, ‘Hey. You don’t know me. I’m about to ask you to do this crazy favor. I want you to hook your trawler onto this very heavy barge made out of steel drums, and in the middle of the night, drag it back to the middle of the Black River in the middle of the night so we can burn this thing on it with fireworks coming out of it. And without hesitation King said, ‘Oh, yeah. I’m on, right now.’”

A steady downpour lasted for about 40 minutes late in the evening. Then the night cleared. Small fireworks shot off a boat, then the fish was lit from both ends.

United States Representative Marcy Kaptur donated a print of her original painting that will be used for FireFish 2017, she said.

“I think this is one of the best efforts ever launched in Lorain County,” Kaptur said. “The effort it took to mobilize the entire community. It reveals the spirit of the hidden Lorain, the potential that’s here to augment with the arts and revitalization of the community. Look how many people are out here in the pouring rain.”

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