LORAIN – Thousands came en masse to the Black River Landing for the 2014 RoverFest on July 26. An estimated 15,000 people from across the Rover’s Morning Glory listening area and beyond came to Lorain to party alongside platinum recording artists and Grammy award-winners in what was described as the ‘Super Bowl’ of the radio show’s year. ‘This is an event that takes five months of planning,’ said Jeffery LaRocque of the radio show.
LaRocque said Rover’s Morning Glory staff has become accustomed to Voinovich Bicentennial Park over the years, but the Black River Landing’s more spacious venue provided an accommodating space to house a larger crowd. ‘The area is perfect,’ LaRocque said. ‘The bridge and the waterfront make for a nice backdrop for the event. This should help put Lorain on the map for future events.’ Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer – who was in attendance as T-Pain took the stage – said after months of planning, he, too, was pleased at how the event turned out for the city. ‘You can see, whether this is your cup of tea or not, it shows that the city can host big events,’ Ritenauer said. ‘As I said all along, my hope is that this opens us to other acts and other types of events coming here.’ Ritenauer compared the Black River Landing to other popular venues in Cuyahoga County, such as Blossom Music Center and Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, and sees no reason that the city shouldn’t be able to compete on that level when it comes to providing a venue for entertainment. ‘I’d argue that our views here, and this setting cannot be rivaled,’ he said. ‘I think we have something special here for years to come.’ Ritenauer credited months of planning by city and law enforcement officials – along with the Lorain Port Authority and show promoters – for putting together a seamless event. ‘I can’t say enough about the planning that went into putting this event on,’ he said. ‘They put together a great operations plan in place and it shows here tonight.’ Rick Novak, executive director of the Lorain Port Authority, said the biggest concern going into the event was parking. Novak said while driving through the city, residents and businesses as far as East 28th Street were providing parking at a price. ‘I think it’s fantastic,’ he said. ‘At the beginning of this, parking was the big issue, but I think it became a non-issue by what I’ve seen today. People were very creative in finding places for people to park, and they were able to make a buck doing it, so I say good for them.’
