The Southern Maryland Sixteenth Annual Spring Festival, sponsored by the Holy Face Church of Great Mills, was held at the St. Mary’s Fairgrounds in Leonardtown beginning on Thursday, April 30 and ran thru Sunday May 3.
Again this year there were activities for everyone from rides for the kids of any age to performances on stage in the Pavilion. The cooler weather and occasional rain sprinkles did not dampen the spirits of the attendees, presenters or vendors.
Jerry Brown and his monkey Django entertained the audience as did dancers from a local dance studio. A wide variety of food was offered for sale, tempting everyone’s taste buds. International Chain Saw Master and Wood Carver Dennis Beach had many intricately detailed wood carvings that he had done as attendees watched in awe of his talent and technique. These pieces were presented for raffle at the end of the Festival.
The Petting Zoo held a collection of farm animals all resting peacefully while children timidly touched their backs under the watchful eye of their parents. Other activities included a yard sale, Silent Auction, face painting, Parade on Saturday and of course the tractor-pull competition on Saturday and Sunday that featured some very old but very well maintained tractors.
The Health Connection Unit from St. Mary’s Hospital was there to give anyone who wanted a free health information and blood pressure check. A variety of vendors had their wares or services on display for purchase and greeted attendees with a smile as they browsed the merchandise and asked questions.
On Saturday, the Classic Cars were parked near the entrance giving attendees the feeling of going back in time. A pristine 1950 Mercury on display was equipped with the old drive-in-movie speakers on a stand on one side and a tray of “food” from the days of carhops at the local hamburger joint on the other side. There was even a small dog statue with a leg lifted on one of the tires with its shiny hubcap.
All in all this was a great week end event with fun for all in the family, including the family dog. Next week end will see a gathering of dogs and other family pets at the St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League Fifth Annual Animal Fair, Saturday May 9 at the County Fairground in Leonardtown.
