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The father of the Fort Wayne Three Rivers Festival is generally considered to be Dean Phillips. When the Three Rivers Festival made its debut in 1969; the main purpose
was to promote business and industry and to emphasize Fort Wayne 's historical heritage. There were two Grand Marshals of the first Festival Parade--Jonathan Frid,
who played the vampire Barnabas Collins on television's Dark Shadows, and John Banner, who portrayed Sergeant Schultz on Hogan's Heroes. Among special guests that
year was Sitting Bull's grandson, Chief of the Sioux nation. The Barr Street Farmer's Market re-opened for Festival after being closed for nearly a decade. An estimated
100,000 enjoyed approximately 60 events at the first Three Rivers Festival centered mostly on the Landing ( Columbia Street ).
Attendance at the second Festival was up an estimated 25%, with 125,000 people attending 66 events. Among the most popular exhibits was the moon rock sample furnished
by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The popular WLYV Raft Race joined the Festival in 1970. However, the more traditional boat rides on the
river proved to be even more popular, with hundreds of people being turned away.
Over 175,000 attended the 1971 Festival events, more than doubling the figure of the previous year. For the first time, people from outside the area came to attend
the event. The Festival Parade featured 42 giant balloons and a crowd estimated at 100,000. Many of the balloons were the same ones that had thrilled spectators
at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Festival closed with one of the world's largest fly-ins featuring foreign, antique and homemade planes.
The 1972 Opening Day Parade again featured giant balloons enjoyed by a crowd estimated at 145,000 people. The Fort Wayne Police Department sponsored free movies
on the Landing. The sergeant operating the projector was more than a little chagrined as he started to roll the film that evening, discovering that someone had
substituted a stag movie for the intended feature. Quickly realizing the topless dancer cavorting on the screen wasn't W.C.Field or Buster Keaton, the curtain
fell on the shortest movie in Festival history. Total Festival attendance topped 300,000 and included visitors from 17 states and from as far away as Scotland
.
By the fifth Festival an estimated 1,500 local volunteers were involved in making sure things ran smoothly. Parade attendance was estimated at 150,000. Among the
special guests was Joe Higgins, a former Fort Wayne resident best known as the southern sheriff in the Dodge automobile TV commercial. The Raft Race drew 862
entries with 6,000 rafters aboard. The breathtaking new event of the '73 Festival was the Navy's Blue Angels jet stunt-flying team. For the first time, attendance
at all festival events totaled more than a million people.
The 1974 Three Rivers Festival marked Allen County 's sesquicentennial. It saw the return of many of the old favorite events. It also heralded the debut of new
events such as the Bed Race, which drew a crowd of 5,000 in the first year. The Festival had now grown to include more than 100 events in some 30 locations around
the city.
Huntington County native and internationally famous sportscaster, Chris Schenkel served as Grand Marshal for the Opening Day Parade. 1975 was an election year
and candidates & City officials participated in the parade, including Mayor Lebamoff and his family riding bicycles. The Festival events, which had been
centered on the Landing, were relocated for the celebration because fire had recently destroyed two of the buildings on the Landing. Among the new events were
two marathons--one a dance marathon and the other a running event. The 1975 Three Rivers Festival was the first of thirteen staged under the direction of Bill
Hausman.
The theme for the 1976 Festival, "Celebration '76," honored the 200th birthday of the United States . The turnout was the largest in the Festival's history,
with attendance gauged at over 2 million people. More than a thousand beer can collectors convened at the Memorial Coliseum for a worldwide beer can collectors
convention.
The giant Opening Day Parade in 1977 was acclaimed officially as the second largest in the state, surpassed only by the Indianapolis 500 Parade. A highlight of
this Festival was the appearance of the Budweiser Clydesdales, making their only Indiana visit in 1977. Just as the rain was a big factor in 1976, intense heat
had an impact in 1977. At the start of the Bed Race at 6:45 p.m. , the thermometer registered a scorching 98 degrees. 1977 was the year that Fort Wayne National
Bank's Fireworks Finale made its debut--a fitting conclusion for nine days of spectacular fun.
This year marked the end of a decade for the Three Rivers Festival. Evidence of its growth throughout the city were the 71 events held in city parks alone. The
Board saw the fruits of three and a half years of labor as the Great American Hot Air Balloon Race filled the skies over Fort Wayne . Elephant ear vendors reported
using 700 pounds of flour on Parade Day alone.
The Opening Day Parade marking the start of Festival's second decade had an impressive beginning as 700 balloons were released from the top of
the City-County Building . An estimated 150,000 watched as the parade passed by--a parade that included 50 kimono-robed band members from Nichidai
High School located in Fort Wayne 's sister city, Takaoka , Japan . "A Day in the Park" was chosen as the theme, honoring the 75th birthday
of the Fort Wayne Park Department.
By 1980 the Festival had grown from 60 events concentrated in the Landing area to 206 events spread across the city. The 4-H Fair at the Coliseum became a Festival
event. The National Quilters Association held its annual show at Homestead High School , the first time since the association's founding that the event had been
held outside the Washington , D.C. area. International Village moved from the Performing Arts Center to the Central YMCA and the Japanese Garden at the PAC,
donated by sister city Takaoka was officially dedicated. The Tractor Pull, banned from Main Street for damaging the pavement was relocated to a local racetrack.
Among the features at 1981 Festival was Fort Wayne 's successful attempt to set a record for the World's Longest Hot Dog. The fantastic frank
was 527 feet long and took one hour and 45 minutes to cook. The Great Paper Airplane Championship joined the Festival schedule in 1981. Participants
competed to win a car by throwing a paper airplane through its sunroof. A new event was the Children's Parade. International Village moved again, this
time to Southgate Plaza . By 1981 the number of volunteers contributing to Festival's success had reached 2,000.
This year saw the inclusion of 20 new events including the Sand Bag Passing Contest, a one-time only event created to commemorate Fort Wayne 's heroic battle against
a devastating Spring flood. The '82 Festival featured the World's Biggest Pretzel, a mammoth beauty 10 feet in diameter and equal to 5000 regular pretzels. Bubble
blowing was another popular event as 700 cups of soap solution went up in bubbles. One of the more bizarre activities was the Jell-O Jump; participants dove
into a swimming pool filled with gelatin to retrieve prizes.
In honor of Fort Wayne 's having just been named ' All America City ' and ' America 's Most Livable City ,' the '83 Festival opened with The Future's Lookin' Good
Parade. Just before the Parade started, 20,000 people joined in the "Put Your Hands Together" event, an attempt to break the world's record for the
number of people holding hands. The Million Dollar Midway made its initial appearance on the Coliseum parking lot.
For the first time, a shuttle bus was offered on Children's Day to transport people from Franke Park to downtown activities. New events included Zoo Olympics,
Trivial Pursuit Contest and a Great American Pie Bake-Off. It was the first year for the Waiter-Waitress Race as people competed with loaded trays through obstacles.
Growing ever bigger and always better, Three Rivers Festival had a force of 3,000 dedicated volunteers by 1985. Under threat of rain, more than 400 rafts with
3,000 riders aboard gathered to compete in the two-and-one-half-mile race- purported to be one of the largest outdoor events in Indiana . The perfect finale
to Festival continued to be the spectacular fireworks launched from atop the Fort Wayne National Bank Building to the accompaniment of music by the US Air Force
Band of Flight. 1986 By 1986 Festival boasted over 275 events, almost 90% of which were free to the public. Attendance early in the Festival promised to break
all records with an estimated 150,000 enjoying the Opening Day Parade and another 100,000 taking in the Raft Race on Sunday. However, temperatures soaring into
the 90's, coupled with high humidity, caused attendance to flag. A two-and-a-half inch downpour on Wednesday washed out or abbreviated several events. However,
huge crowds daily braved the weather to view a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial set up on the campus of Indiana University- Purdue University
at Fort Wayne .
The always popular Beer Tent, expanded from three days to four, welcomed 200,000 revelers. The Indiana Highland Games and Laser Light Spectacular were added to
the long list of events and "Not-All-Junk Food Alley" grew to include more than four dozen concessions. Because of renovation of the old L.S. Ayres
building and construction of the Standard Federal Building , Food Alley was moved from Barr Street to the City- County Building parking lot. The 1987 Festival
budget topped $250,000, a rather substantial increase over the $20,000 allocated for the first Festival back in 1969.
Festival celebrated twenty years of fun in the sun as Fort Wayne rivers dried up in the wake of an early summer drought. The Raft Race was the big casualty (it
didn't float until August) but encore performances of the Laser Light Spectacular, the best Fireworks Finale ever and "Back Home Again In Indiana"-
A Musical Salute to the State of Indiana 's 150th birthday took up the slack. International Village found a spacious new home in the lower level of the Scottish
Rite auditorium. Sporting a Festival 20 button brought the lucky wearer valuable discounts on admissions, purchases and trolley rides. Buttons also served as
passport to the Official Beer Tent which expanded its entertainment schedule with radio stations hosting a different band each night. A resounding thunderstorm
with brilliant lightning turned night into day and caused the police to evacuate the Beer Tent and close Food Alley. The Festival administration changed as Rick
Groves took over for retiring Exec Bill Hausman, the Festival's first Executive Director. Under Hausman's guidance Three Rivers Festival had grown from a small
downtown festival focused on history into a sprawling extravaganza of over 275 events.
With its 20th anniversary wrapped up, the Festival Board turned to thoughts of a 25th anniversary. A new corporate logo graced all souvenirs, programs and buttons
for the 21st year. The Festival office suite was expanded and renovated to accommodate added staff. The Opening Day Parade theme was "Still Young at Heart".
Significant Seniors became the focus of Monday programming. There were concerts, genealogy workshops and tours of the GM plant and the Allen County Courthouse
especially for senior citizens. Fine arts filled Freimann Square , the PAC and Art Museum courtyards for "Sunday in the Park with Art." Exciting outdoors
performances by the Fort Wayne Ballet and Fort Wayne Philharmonic ensembles added a wonderful new dimension to Festival. An Activities Stage brought new excitement
to "Not-All-Junk Food Alley." A variety of performers filled the stage from lunchtime until closing each day, providing 'music to munch by.' For added
fun, a Grand Prize Drawing was added to the button campaign with a GMC pickup truck, camcorder outfit, groceries and gift certificates going to the lucky winners.
Festival 22 launched the new decade with a new look--bright neon colors blazed across T-shirts, programs and other souvenirs. Over 70,000 bought buttons in hopes
of winning a GMC pickup, American Airlines tickets or a camcorder from McJon. Art in the Park increased in scope as did Seniors Day. The biggest change came
in Children's Day as its activities expanded to two days and moved from Wednesday to Friday- Saturday. Dozens of events, activities and performances filled Franke
Park and thousands of kids and adults braved a chilly drizzle to revel in the rain. In fact, it was the wettest Three Rivers Festival in history. Rain fell on
six of the nine days, s sweatshirts nearly outsold T-shirts and the souvenir committee vowed to stock rain ponchos in 1991. "Up With People" made an
unusual mid-summer appearance at Festival with a huge multi- cultural show which paralleled the "90's--decade of Friendship theme of the Opening Day Parade.
Everyone donned a happy face to 'Face the Future' at Festival 23 and the rain poncho insurance worked. Only a brief shower mid-afternoon of the first Saturday
dampened nine days of perfect weather. But water problems of a different kind dogged Festival volunteers when Food Alley's water system repeatedly failed to
pass Department of Health lab tests. Allen Dairy and the Indiana Air Guard came to the rescue with large tankers and hundreds of plastic milk jugs to supply
concession units. A $20,000 Arts United grant expanded Sunday in the Park With Art and more art events spilled over into Seniors' Day and Children's Festival.
Charlotte Shakespeare, a repertory company, spiced Festival programming with productions of Twelfth Night and workshops for students, the physically challenged
and others.
Selling rain ponchos offered no insurance against rain for Festival 24. Rain fell on eight of the nine days, but most devastating was the storm with high winds,
which took down a large section of the entertainment tent at Club TRF. Club TRF, formerly the Official TRF Beer Tent, managed to patch itself together and opened
almost on schedule, but without .38 Special, the headliner. Club TRF went on to set records the rest of the week with Duke Tomato, Kansas , Henry Lee Summer,
and Three Dog Night. To accommodate its new f format, the Tent moved to the Old Fort lot and a cover charge of $2 plus a TRF button was instituted. The Hot Air
Balloon Classic made a comeback in the form of a huge weekend event at the Allen County Fairgrounds. Over twenty balloons participated and crowds enjoyed such
adjunct activities as stunt kites, experimental aircraft, parachutists and a big-top circus.
"A Sterling Celebration" marking 25 years of TRF fun in the Fort was sandwiched between two dampening downpours. Not only did rain soak our parade and
its 25 special floats (each displaying a theme from a past festival in addition to Past Board members), but it dumped from the skies at least an hour too soon on
the final Sunday night. The FWNB Fireworks had to be set off early (and quickly!) to avoid being a total loss. For several days after, irate callers and letters
in the newspaper debated the wisdom of the 'go early or lose everything' decision. In spite of the opening and closing rains, events such as the Anniversary Air
show by the National Guard and the Standard Federal Balloon Classic featuring Fort Wayne's first balloon 'glow' gave the 25th festival its own special glow . 1994
Festival 26 was a delight from Opening Day Parade to Fireworks. The weather was superb; the crowds were great, and the public was more positive than ever about Festival.
Everyone expressed pleasure at the cleanliness, friendliness, and security of the downtown venues and looked forward with great anticipation to the new festival
venue being designed for Headwaters Park . Sunday in the Park with Art expanded to two full days and featured three stages surrounded by all sorts of art activities
for children and adults.
It was a picture perfect parade day that kicked-off Festival 27 "Salute to the Home Team". Beautiful weather brought thousands of people downtown to
watch the first ever McDonald's Three Rivers Parade. Following the parade, people quickly converged on Freimann Square to enjoy the Festival of the Arts. A new
Coffee House Tent allowed one to sip cappuccino while listening to local musicians perform. Due to construction in the City-County parking lot, Festival was forced
to move Food Alley and the Emporium over to North Barr Street . Crowds quickly converged on this new site for Festival favorites. Record high temperatures moved
into the area on Wednesday and hung around until Saturday, taking its toll on several Festival events. The MIX 97.3 Bed Race was postponed due to heat. The Balloon
Classic cancelled two balloon flights and the Children's Festival shortened its hours of operation. If the heat wasn't enough, Saturday afternoon brought a downpour
of rain. Streets flooded, the Balloon Glow was cancelled and a section of the Club TRF tent collapsed. However, Club TRF volunteers worked together to clean up
the mess and the tent was up and running by 7 PM . On Sunday it was feared rain would postpone the popular Fort Wayne National Bank Fireworks. However, the rain
shower broke just in time for the sky to be lit with an array of colors. Upon the finale, the streets of Fort Wayne broke into cheers and clapping - a true salute
to Fort Wayne and a perfect end to Festival 27!
Three Rivers Festival kicked off its' 28th year with an estimated 150,000 people in attendance at the McDonald's Opening Day Parade. The annual Six Flags Great
America Children's Fest moved from Franke Park to its' new home on the beautiful campus of Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. In anticipation of our future move, Three
Rivers Festival used the fringe of Headwaters Park for Club TRF and the Emporium Market. The Fun Over Fifty committee introduces a new event, The Sentimental
Happening featuring The Tommy Dorsey Band. The streets of Fort Wayne remained peaceful during Festival 28 with the lowest crime recorded.
The29th annual Three Rivers Festival found a new home in the recently completed Phases I & II of Headwaters Park, just north of downtown Fort Wayne . The McDonald's
Opening Day Parade, complete with 5 Macy Parade style balloons, was greeted with beautiful weather and large crowds, but traveled the streets of downtown slower
than usual and lasted over 3 hours. The GTE Event Tent played host to the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce's Meet Me at Five on Friday, July 11. History Lane changed
its name to the Essex Heritage Trails and Tales and moved to the second weekend of Festival. This weekend featured historical re-enactments and a pioneer craft
show. As a part of our changes for 1997, Festival attempted a new look with the Meijer Food Alley. National Concessions Company transformed food alley into a sea
of white tents filled with a variety of food offerings. Local community groups served up the food and received over $20,000 for their efforts. This change produced
a multitude of telephone calls, letters to the editor and complaints among the community about the loss of the ever-popular food alley. More entertainment was
offered in the GTE Event Tent and included Festival's first ever Christian Rock Concert featuring Jars of Clay on Sunday, July 13.
The 21 Alive Three Rivers Festival Parade on Saturday morning had over 125 units and a theme of "Everyday Heroes". The festival welcomed letters from
the community about people who are heroes every day. We placed 10 of the winners as the Grand Marshals of the parade. The Parade also had Mickey's Hometown Parade
as a special added attraction. Fort Wayne was one of only 5 cities across the country to by graced with Mickey's presence. A record attendance of 250,000 spectators
crowded the streets. The Meijer Event Tent was the scene of a wide range of activities including Bob and Tom, Spike and the Bulldogs, Doobie Brothers, REO Speedwagon
and a new event, Teen Night. To celebrate the 30th Three Rivers Festival, we hosted the most moving of Festival events, the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall, "The
Wall That Heals". Tens of thousands of people came to the wall and felt its calming effects. Over 8,000 of the youngest of Festival goers and their families
enjoyed a very successful McDonald's Children's Fest complete with an archeological dig, the Milk Mustache Mobile and carnival rides among dozens of other activities.
Peg Perego and Three Rivers Festival gave away motorized ride-on children's cars. Attendance for Children's Fest was up over 2,000 from previous years. The Fun
over Fifty committee had a very successful event with the Larry Elgart "Hooked on Swing" concert. The weather was exceptional all week until the last
Sunday afternoon, when a large thunderstorm blew in, damaged the Vietnam Wall, and took out the power for all of Headwaters Park . Power was restored just in time
for the food vendors to reopen and the Fireworks to begin at their scheduled time. When the Festival wrapped up on Sunday, July 19, with the Fort Wayne National
Bank Fireworks, we looked back on some of the largest crowds and best weather in the history of the Festival.
The theme for the 31st Three Rivers Festival was sunshine as we experienced near perfect weather. Dr. David Wolf, a NASA astronaut and an Indianapolis
native was the Grand Marshall for the opening parade, which also saw a return of the ever-popular Clydesdales. The Festival of the Arts-Art in the
Park expanded to include Main Street as well as Freimann Square . The juried show drew 85 artists from all over the country. Food Alley reported record
food sales, proving once again that Food Alley is the most popular event during Festival. New to Festival was the addition of the Titanic Adventure,
a 35-foot slide and an obstacle course for kiddies of all ages. A resurgence of the historic boat rides gave Festival-goers a 25-minute scenic view
of downtown Fort Wayne and Headwaters Park . Both attractions were extremely successful. The Marketplace made it's debut in 1999. Taking place on the
west side of Headwaters, shoppers could find items such as Festival souvenirs from years past, bonsai trees, clothing and household items from over
50 vendors. In 1999 our local Fort Wayne National Bank was sold to National City Bank and for awhile there was a fear there would no longer be fireworks.
In the end National City came through with flying colors and the fireworks finale went off with a LOUD bang. As in the past several years, Three Rivers
Festival has enjoyed crowds in excess of 500,000 keeping it the second largest event in Indiana .
The 32 nd annual festival brought back old favorites and introduced new events. The Parade theme, “Celebrate Innovation: Our Past,
Our Future,” really
captured what the festival board had in mind. This year the festival emphasized family and youth activities by including a second concert night for
teenagers, a Talent Show, and a public forum for discussion with community leaders. Other highlights for young people included a free BMX Stunt Show,
Sport Clinics, and performances by the Peru Circus. Some of the community favorite activities that the board kept in place were the Bed Race, and providing
national entertainment acts at a reasonable cost. Though the heat was present all week it couldn’t keep the crowds away!
The 33 rd festival brought back the same summer fun we have had for years. This year the theme of the festival was “A 3-Ring Parade.” The
idea was to persuade people to just enjoy the community and what Fort Wayne has to offer. Patrons were encouraged to buy a unique piece of art at Art
in the Park, eat great-tasting festival food at Food Alley, and to pick up some handmade items at the Crafters’ Market. Each year these events
have continued to grow, all the while preserving the small town feel in a big city atmosphere. This year’s events included the Largest Musical
Chairs Contest and Meet Me at Five (a networking opportunity for business people and recent college graduates). The bands were bigger than ever and
the fireworks seemed louder than ever before. All and all, the 33 rd festival was a huge success!
The festival was proud to show our stars and stripes in the 34 th Festival. The theme was “Proud to be an American” and was
reminiscent of the patriotic wave that gripped the nation. The opening day Parade featured servicemen and women from all branches of the armed forces.
Tours of the Allen County Courthouse were given, and some of the stars that came out to Children’s Fest were the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders,
PBS 39’s Arthur, Ronald McDonald, and Sponge Bob Squarepants. Other popular events continued with the expansion of Crafters’ Market, Art
in the Park, Marketplace, and Food Alley. A Maze and NASCAR appearances made this festival one that will be fondly remembered.
The Three Rivers Festival turned 35 this year with a theme of “Celebration,” which is exactly what festival goers did. The
events included a Beetles tribute band, Revolution, Cake Decorating Contests, Make Me an Idol Contest, as well as Christmas in July. Familiar sites
like Food Alley, Art in the Park, Crafters’ Market, Marketplace, and the opening day Parade were also present. A flood forced the change of the
parade route this year and also made the activities at Headwaters Park touch and go. Our civil servants challenged each other in an annual Police versus
Fireman Softball Game to honor servicemen killed in the line of duty. Other celebratory events included Children’s Fest, Fun over Fifty with
events for seniors, and concerts for the city’s youth. Finally, all the fun was put to rest with the closing Fireworks Show.
This July marked the 36 th annual festival with a theme of “Community Spirit; Letting it Soar.” The festival had begun a
marriage with the city we know and love, Fort Wayne . Something old kicked off with the opening day Parade, Art in the Park, Crafters’ Market,
Children’s
Fest, Marketplace, and Food Alley as returning venues. Something new began with Motocross Races, a Parade Sign Contest where parade attendees
were asked to create signs using the theme of Community Spirit, and a Contest to rename Generation Teen. Something borrowed was the Fort Wayne
citywide Fitness Initiative, and the festival featured walks, runs, bike rides, and body building contests. Also, something blue was the featured
opening night band, “Blue Oyster Cult.”
The 37 th annual festival kicked off with “A Century of Fun.” Some of the events included a Dodge Ball Tournament, a Boat
Show, and an all city High School Alumni Reunion . The festival also featured Scott’s Chef Michael at Art in the Park; the newly renamed Nex
Chapter (formally called Generation Teen) featuring a fashion show, and a Cryptogram about the statues and landmarks in the city of Fort Wayne during
Children’s
Fest. The festival was sure to include old favorites at Food Alley, a room makeover from Ashley Furniture at Marketplace; and seniors had free admission
to the Zoo during Fun over Fifty Day. The festival of fun wrapped up with the always popular Fireworks finale at One Summit Square .
Mid summer activities were again kicked off with the Grabill Bank Parade, the theme for 2006 was “Celebrate Learning.” The
Parade Marshals were the Superintendents from Fort Wayne Public Schools and the parade featured over ten marching bands representing area schools.
The revival of the Waiter/Waitress Competition and over ninety performing artists on various stages including the main stage at the Meijer Event Pavilion
began a new era for Three Rivers Festival. Rain tried to dampen attendees’ spirits, lasting over three days, but let up in time for the big Fireworks
finale. Other new events included a Coffee Brewery Tour, three NASCAR race cars, Build A Bear, Best Buy Fun Zone and a Lego exhibit that was sure to
inspire future little architects of Fort Wayne .
Three
Rivers Festival
| 102 Three Rivers North |
Fort Wayne, In 46802
Phone: (260) 426-5556 | Fax: (260)
420-8611
|
1969