South Central Park, 7565 Avon Belden Road in North Ridgeville, will be overtaken Sept. 9 by skunks.
Each year, animal lovers from across Ohio travel to the park for Skunkfest.
This festival has been a consistent player in North Ridgeville’s annual activities for over two decades, according to Renee Pearlstein, a customer relations worker with Skunk Haven.
The festival can draw over 1,000 people to South Central Park, Pearlstein said.
“I think this is our 22nd or 23rd annual (Skunkfest),” she said. “It kind of started out as like a skunky picnic, where people would come and meet (fellow skunk owners).
“As time went on, we’d have a couple vendors, a couple things going on there, and it became bigger.”
Since then, the festival has grown to include games, a DJ, raffles, food and even skunk contests complete with awards for the owners and their furry friends, Pearlstein said.
The festival has been featured on the Travel Channel as well as in National Geographic, according to Pearlstein.
Each year brings a sizable turnout, she said, which is great for the nonprofit.
“We get a really good turnout,” Pearlstein said. “We get other vendors and rescues and things like that going on.
“We started it because we are a nonprofit organization (at Skunk Haven). We try to help the skunks. We’re always available for people, 24/7.”
Attendees concerned about the smell have no reason to be worried, Pearlstein said.
All domesticated skunks have their scent glands removed when they are very young, about 3 to 5 weeks old, she said.
“The breeders of skunks used to do it for the fur trade, and eventually, they decided (to) sell them as pets,” Pearlstein said. “You have to get them from breeders; the breeders also de-scent them before they sell them as pets.”
Part of the appeal of Skunkfest, Pearlstein said, is just how unique the concept is.
Most locals may never see a skunk up close and personal if not for the festival, she said.
“You get to see a lot of people with their skunks (and) you can learn a lot about it,” Pearlstein said. “You can pet a skunk, and it’s just a cool thing.
“You see people walking them in strollers, wagons, on leashes.”
Perhaps the crown jewel of Skunkfest is the annual skunk show, Pearlstein said.
Skunk owners will be able to showcase their pet before a panel of judges, who will crown the Skunkfest king and queen, she said.
Skunks under a year old also are eligible for Skunkfest prince and princess, Pearlstein said.
“They’ve got king and queen, on down to the court jester … and then the prince and the princess,” she said. “They get a crown and a ribbon, and the owners get a crown.”
Skunkfest runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There is a $10 skunk entry fee at the door, and attendees are encouraged to bring cash donations or natural grain cereal and paper towels.
