Mark Worthy, part of a Civil War living history display, cooks rabbit and rice in cast iron skillets over an open flame at Saturday’s Brookside Greenway Festival. Hundreds turned out for the third-annual event, thanks in part to sunny skies and warmer weather.

By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Organizers of the third-annual Brookside Greenway Festival are giving credit to Mother Nature for a successful event.

The mixture of sunny skies and warm weather in addition to several food vendors, live entertainment and activities for children brought hundreds of people to the festival.

This year’s success was a drastic turnaround from last year’s event, marred by cold rain and vendor cancellations.

Francesca Gross, Five Mile Creek Partnership Coordinator and a festival organizer, said the weather was perfect for vendors and for athletes competing in the “Wild Boar Duathalon” and 5K run.

“I thought it was the best festival yet,” she said. “The athletes were happy with the courses, the music was great, the food was great and the kids had a blast. It was a good day.”

Despite the ideal weather, Gross said festival organizers are considering moving the event to later in the spring to ensure good weather for future events. A meeting is scheduled for later this week to address the date change and the financial outcome of this year’s festival.

Brookside Mayor Roger McCondichie said he believed the festival may have made a slight profit this year. Proceeds from the festival go toward the town’s continuing efforts to improve and preserve the greenway along Five Mile Creek.

“The whole point is to promote Brookside and we introduced more people to the creek and saw the greenway project and what it can be,” he said. “I don’t think we knocked the doors down, but I think it will eventually be a moneymaker. If we break even, I’ll be happy about it.”

The festival also gave the town a chance to make money of the canoe business it purchased in February. McCondichie said there were about 38 canoes on the creek throughout the day.

Organizer Staci Glover said the festival owes its success to the variety of activities and vendors at the festival. This year’s event featured more live entertainment, inflatables and the addition of a “Motorcycle Poker Run,” in which at least 20 motorcycle riders participated.

“It’s just a very economical festival you can bring you family and kids to,” she said. “All of our musicians came out and played free of charge and there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. There was something for everybody and we think it was a success.”