Festival in the Park fulfilled most everyone’s expectations, overflowing Elmwood Park and the vendor-filled area with scores of people enjoying the food and gift offerings along with the live entertainment, which varied from “Circus r us” performers to BMX Bike riders performing gravity defying stunts to the hit kids’ attraction: firefighter supplied soap suds. That is, soap suds several feet deep—that had kids slipping, sliding and squealing, creating a scene reminiscent of “Close Encounters”—suds covered little creatures looking rather alien and ghostly even on the sunny day.
Nearby the large rocks behind the Main Library invited impromptu rock climbing—quite the popular event even though it was not really an “event”—kids had a ball scrambling over the rocks while parents hovered nearby. Maggie Scheer, daughter of Matt and Abby Scheer from Chapel Hill, was content to flit from rock to rock just out of dad’s reach.
Vendor items were profuse and varied and did not disappoint … The shiny metal butterfly sculptures made by Jerry and Angela Cole from Max Meadows sold well; the colorful creations could be seen glittering and bobbing amongst the crowd all afternoon.
Karen Godfrey, an out of town visitor to the Festival left a glowing comment on Facebook: “1st time to the festival [we are] planning on making it an annual Memorial Day Weekend tradition … and folks we traveled 4.5 hours from NC to get there. That’s how much fun we had. Thanks to all who made it possible.”
Sounds like native Roanokers should make it a point not to miss our famous Festival!
