Mentor CityFest flourishes in two-day event

John Butler, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Aug. 20—The 2022 Mentor CityFest was in full swing, featuring live music, food, activities, games and more on Aug. 20, the final day of the two-day event.

The festival was held at the Mentor Civic Center and offered a variety of musical acts and performances from a large array of entertainers, all taking center stage at the Mentor Civic Center Amphitheater.

On Aug. 19, the Pearl Jam tribute band, The Ten Band, took to the stage to pay homage to the grunge style of music and was followed by the Stone Temple Pilots Tribute, STP2.

On Aug. 20, the Mentor CityFest welcomed the Deepwood Idol for the first time ever. The multi-purpose talent show, showcased the various talents of individuals with developmental disabilities in an effort to raise awareness of the Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities/Deepwood programs, while celebrating skillsets of people with disabilities.

It was followed by performances by Sunrise Jones and 90s alt-rock legends, the Spin Doctors.

"Everyone worked very hard to bring this together," said Ronnie Tiedman, Operator 2 for the city of Mentor Parks Department. "The Parks Department works very hard to bring the event together and we are excited for everyone to come and enjoy some good old family fun."

CityFest also included a Kids Zone that contained a variety of games for younger patrons to play in, including bounce houses, giant slides, a warrior dash, obstacle run, rock wall, zip line, an extreme trampoline, and a mobile ninja warrior course. Adults who wanted a bit less juvenile entertainment could enjoy the Adult Zone beer trailer, cornhole and other party games including an axe throwing area.

The Main Street Tent hosted a number of organizations and companies that call Mentor home and allowed patrons of the festival the opportunity to partake in the goods and services their neighborhood has to offer.

The festival offered food from over 20 vendors including favorites such as sausage sandwiches, funnel cakes and lemonade.

The Mentor CityFest Parade left from Shore Middle School at 10 am. Aug. 20 and made its way to the festival grounds via Hopkins, Center Street and Civic Center Boulevard. The parade featured the Mentor High School Marching Band, the city of Mentor float and over a 100 additional groups.