Toledo Festival Attendees Furious That Shooting 'Really Put A Damper On The Home Tours'

TOLEDO, OH — Calling it 'an absolute logistical nightmare,' attendees of the annual Old West End Festival expressed mounting irritation Sunday after a shooting near the beloved community event forced organizers to cut short what participants described as 'the best gazebo showcase in recent memory.'

'We had literally just gotten to the Hendersons' restored 1887 foyer when everything went sideways,' said festival-goer Diane Purcell, 54, shaking her head at a laminated map of featured homes. 'I had been waiting eleven months to see that transom window. Eleven months, Gerald.'

Gerald Purcell, 57, nodded solemnly.

Toledo Police confirmed that at least 12 people were struck by gunfire near the festival grounds, though authorities noted that emergency response was briefly delayed after three separate 911 callers insisted on first describing, in full detail, the absolutely stunning wraparound porch they had just toured.

'Ma'am, we understand the porch was impressive,' said one dispatcher, according to sources. 'But we're going to need you to focus.'

Festival organizer Brenda Kowalski said she was heartbroken by the incident, noting that the live music stage had just finished a rousing set of Fleetwood Mac covers. 'The band had literally just started 'The Chain,' which felt, in retrospect, extremely on the nose,' Kowalski admitted.

Local historians were perhaps the most distraught, mourning the interruption of guided talks about the neighborhood's Gilded Age architecture. 'People come from as far as Perrysburg to hear about these load-bearing walls,' said historical society president Norm Dietrich, visibly emotional. 'Load-bearing walls, people. Do they mean nothing anymore?'

At press time, several festival vendors were demanding refunds for unsold artisanal pickle jars, calling it 'a complete pickle economy collapse.'