Gerry Schumacher has been selected as the grand marshal for this year’s Ohio Rural Heritage Festival in Ripley.
Gerry Schumacher selected as grand marshal
A large crowd will once again gather in Ripley Aug. 24-26 for this year’s Ohio Rural Heritage Festival. Photo by Wade Linville
The 2022 Ohio Rural Heritage Festival Queen, Clara Jo Brannock, will be crowning the 2023 ORHF Queen on Aug. 24. Photo by Wade Linville
The Ripley community is gearing up for the annual Ohio Rural Heritage Festival that is set to run Aug. 24-26.
The festival will once again be held on lower Front Street on the banks of the Ohio River in Ripley, a chance for festival-goers of all ages to enjoy fun, food, games, and live entertainment.
Gerry Schumacher has been selected as the grand marshal for this year’s Ohio Rural Heritage Festival.
Schumacher grew up on a farm in Ripley. As many Ripley residents may recall, Schumacher was a familiar, friendly face at the Ripley National Bank for many years. He recently retired from the First State Bank in Georgetown, Ohio after serving for over 44 years in the banking industry.
Schumacher has always served as an active member of the regional community, contributing his time and talent to many institutions and organizations, including but not limited to:
• Knights of Columbus Council Assembly Member at Saint Michael’s Church in Ripley
• Kiwanis Club Member – Southern Hills Region
• Brown County Health and Wellness Foundation Member
• Maysville Rotary Club Member
• Maysville / Mason County Chamber of Commerce Past Chairperson
• Kentucky Gateway Museum Center Board of Trustees President
• Chatfield College Board of Trustees Member
• 2018 Brown County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Schumacher currently resides in Maysville, KY with Yvonne, his lovely wife of 40 years.
This year’s Ohio Rural Heritage Festival kicks off Aug. 24 with the Princess Pageant at 6 p.m. on the main stage, followed by the Queen Pageant at 7 p.m.
Live music will be provided by Will Stratton from 8-10 p.m. on Aug. 24.
Vendors open at 8 a.m. on Aug. 25, and the Shining Star Special Needs Pageant will take place at 11 a.m. on the main stage.
Steve Free will provide live entertainment from 4-6 p.m. on Aug. 25.
The Ohio Rural Heritage Festival parade will start at 6 p.m. on Aug. 25 with registration and line-up being held at 4:30 p.m. at the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Elementary School.
There will be a rocket demonstration hosted by the Ripley Ohio Association of Rocketry NAR Section 851 at the Cherry Street Park baseball/softball field at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25.
An “owner and pet look-a-like contest” will be held on the main stage at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25.
Evening live music for Aug. 25 will be provided by the Rebel Sound Club.
The ORHF opens at 8 a.m. on Aug. 26 with the popular Bob Groh Memorial Car/Truck/Motorcycle Show on Main Street.
The Infant/Wee Baby Show will be held at 10 a.m. on Aug. 26, followed by the Baby/Tiny Miss and Mister Show at 11 a.m. and the Junior Miss Pageant at 12 p.m.
The New Vision Gospel Group will perform on the main stage on Aug. 26 at 1 p.m..
The cake auction begins at 2 p.m. on Aug. 26 with an entry deadline of 1:30 p.m.
The Golden Girls 60+ Pageant kicks off at 3 p.m. on the main stage, followed by the Silver Fox 60+ Pageant at 4 p.m.
The Duck Race will take place Aug. 26 at 5 p.m.
Providing live enterainment from 5:30-7 p.m. on Aug. 26 will be Just for Show, and the local band Shuffle will perform from 8 p.m. until midnight.
The grand prize raffle drawing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 26.
For more information on this year’s Ohio Rural Heritage Festival, visit its website at https://ohioruralheritage.com/.