FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — This weekend, thousands of people are expected to pack Bohlken Park for Fairview Park's 32nd annual Summerfest event.
The festival comes after an already violent summer at some similar events in Northeast Ohio. Throughout the course of this weekend, organizers anticipate more than 10,000 people to come through the grounds at the park, and area law enforcement tell 3News security remains top of mind.
In June, video captured a group of teens fighting outside of a church festival in Lyndhurst, with Mayfield Heights police saying more than 300 kids were a part of the chaos. The fight led to 10 arrests and sent at least one girl to the emergency room.
Less than a week later, Lake County authorities were called to the scene of another church festival when violence erupted at St. Gabriel Parish in Concord Township. That incident led to the arrest of four people.
That same day, gunfire ended the Summerfest fun in Macedonia. No one was reported injured, and no suspects were arrested in that case.
It's incidents like these that Fairview Park police say won't be tolerated.
"Anything that poses a risk to public safety, to our personal safety, to the property of others, to the property of the city of Fairview Park, we're not going to tolerate," Police Chief Paul Shepard said. "We will take enforcement actions and address it."
Lake County is also hosting its county fair this week in Painesville. The sheriff's office issued a statement saying it has increased the number of deputies patrolling the area along with staging tactical units nearby.
Fairview Park police stress that kids are allowed to come to the festival without parental supervision, but the minute they misbehave, they will be asked to leave.