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Vendors from Town Hall to Fire Hall draw crowds to Street Festival

June 24, 2016   ·   0 Comments

By Marni Walsh

 

Over a hundred vendors lined William Street from Town Hall to the Fire Hall on Saturday as the 2016 Shelburne Street Festival got off to an impressive start, drawing in a large crowd.

The searing heat seemed to be no deterrent for attendees lining the streets checking out antique automobiles, shining motorcycles, great entertainment, fresh produce and beautiful craftwork.

Jamie-Lee Higginson the owner of Prim Pickins’ and recent contestant on Dragon’s Den, took on the responsibility of bringing the 110 vendors to the Open Air Market, creating a new and unquestionable status for the festival that will no doubt draw even larger crowds in the future.

Once again, blue skies and sunshine were the order of the day for the popular event, bringing somewhat sunburnt smiles to the faces of families from across the region.

Crowds saw Jr. Schooners’ soap box derby, where kids competed for the fastest time; bed races run in the heat of the day; a talent show featuring students for Shelburne schools; a puppet show by Troupe-Adore; and three magic shows by area magician Steve Baker; they had their faces painted and balloon art by Party Face; ate ice cream and a wide variety of other fast and fantastic food while strolling through the market looking for treasures.

They did all that and more, while listening to the musical tones of Dustin Bricker, teenage “Elvis” impersonator, The Pedestrians, and Oatman’s Band from the Main Street stage.

The Street Festival Committee outdid themselves this year and their efforts were loudly applauded throughout the day.

Mayor Ken Bennington expressed his appreciation to the Festival Organizing Committee “for the tireless efforts, both in the boardroom during the planning phases, and in the streets on the day of the Street Festival.”

“Hundreds of man/woman hours were invested in volunteer time and those hours were crucial to the delivery and success of the Shelburne Street Festival,” he said. “Each progressive year, this festival continues to shadow the previous years’ efforts, and this past Saturday did not disappoint.”

Mayor Bennington was at the head of the winning bed race team, Cheese Whizz, defeating last year’s winners the AC DC team from Auto Centre Dufferin – who came in second place on Saturday.

In third place was Oatman’s team, followed by the Fire Department who met with an unfortunate bed malfunction on the track.

A member of the Street Festival Committee, Councillor Dan Sample called the 2016 Shelburne Street Festival “a huge success.”

“I would say we had approximately 2,500 people in our downtown core, filling the streets with excitement,” said Councillor Sample. “Thanks to everyone that helped out, and all the volunteers that spent over 12 hours that day, making the Shelburne Street Festival a success.”

Mayor Bennington also sends out thanks to all the “volunteers, participants, sponsors, vendors, emergency personnel, Town of Shelburne staff, friends, neighbours, visitors, and Mother Nature for making Street Festival 2016 the best one yet!”

Committee Volunteers:

Jamie-Lee Higginson
Lindsey Baker
Ken Bennington

Dan Sample

Josh Oatman
Jim Oatman
Lindsay Wegner
Virginia Miller
Kyle Fegan
Melissa Powers
Kevin Bowler

 

The final Street Festival message from the Mayor: “See you again on Fathers’ Day weekend 2017!”

         

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