23-05-2025
New safety measures in place for St. Mary Magdalene Homecoming Festival
WILLOWICK, Ohio (WJW) — Church festival season is right around the corner.
Making sure those celebrations stay safe is a top priority for organizers and police departments across Northeast Ohio.
The annual St. Mary Magdalene Homecoming Festival in Willowick runs May 29 through June 1.
Three years ago, juveniles caused havoc, as widespread fighting broke out at the festival and spilled into city streets. This year, a new safety plan is in place.
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Live music, food, games and rides for kids — that's what the St. Mary Magdalene festival is known for. Organizers are looking forward to another celebration but are also focused on keeping guests safe after a violent incident three years ago.
'Unruly, mostly teenagers, just basically a mob scene — chaos, fighting, violence, vandalism, trespassing — and we had to use crowd control measures to get it under control,' Willowick Police Department Lt. Keith Lawrence said.
Lawrence said the St. Mary's festival is a cherished tradition, and the violence in 2022 left a stain on an otherwise spotless record.
'It's an important event for the church, an important event for Lake County and this community. So it hurt the church in more ways than one,' he said.
This year, new safety measures will be implemented.
There will be perimeter fencing, and guests will need wristbands to enter. Bags are subject to search, and no weapons of any kind will be permitted — including pocketknives and pepper spray.
All minors must be accompanied by an adult, and each adult can be responsible for a maximum of five children.
'Control unsupervised teenagers, basically,' Lawrence said. 'Unfortunately, that has been the population that has been the biggest problem for our festival and for other area festivals.'
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Lawrence said there will be a strong police presence at the festival, and mutual aid from several nearby departments will be available if needed.
Police say the violence at the St. Mary's festival a couple of years ago was a fluke, and there have been no issues since. But they emphasize you can never be too prepared when it comes to safety.
'There will be consequences if people want to cause trouble,' Lawrence said. 'I feel confident in our officers and the resources we have in place, so yeah, my message would be: Don't even try it.'
Anyone who doesn't follow the protocols will be removed from the festival grounds and could face criminal charges.
This year's festival is intended to be a family-friendly event, and both police and church leaders are hopeful to leave the violent incident in the past.
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