Festival-goers enjoy a nice day in the middle of Main Street.

So this past Saturday (September 22), my family decided to walk two blocks to main street to check out the St. Clair Main Street Festival.  I think we went to the first “festival” several years ago, and aside from a free, blue Frisbee given away as a promotional item from one of the local businesses, I thought it was a bust.  I’m a fair person, so I thought, “Surely, they have improved this festival… let’s go see.”

Back when I was in junior high school, St. Clair had a yearly celebration in the summertime called “Festival Days”.  (I guess we have this thing for the word “Festival”.)  Usually they would hold it at the City Park on Orchard drive (although once I remember it being at the City Airport), it would last for several days, we had a queen contest, several bands would play over the stretch of the festival, they had carnival rides and a mid-way, awesome carnival food… it was a good time for a junior-higher!  I remember wasting the little allowance money I had or money my parents gave me for food on playing dart/balloon games to win small, square mirror tiles with my favorite hair-band from the 80′s silk screened on it.  I come home with 3-4 of those things thinking I had won the world!  Every carny on the mid-way was happy to see me coming.  During the course of Festival Days, they had many contests, one of which gave me the only blue ribbon I ever one in my life… for an art contest of course.  Happy times.  I was young then and really didn’t pay attention to life that much, so I never really heard why St. Clair discontinued Festival Days.

Awesome barrel ride for the kiddos!

So now that I’m an adult, I suppose I have high expectations.  To be completely honest, I haven’t really attended too many events around St. Clair since I moved back from college. I understand the event St. Clair holds around the fourth of July is okay, so I think I’ll attend it this year just to give you a review.  (I believe they call it “Freedom Fest”.  No one could completely commit to use “Festival” for that one.)  We normally just park our vehicle at the old “Coaches” restaurant, and view the fireworks display from the other side of the highway.  For St. Clair, the display is alright.  (You know, I really hate prefixing a sentence about my home town with “For St. Clair,…”)

Main Street Festival, has improved ever so slightly from its beginnings four years ago.  Here are some of the pros and cons of attending:

PROS

• It seemed that there were more booths this time than in the past.  Definitely more food choices which was awesome.  All of the “fair/carnival” favorites were there… home-made lemonade, hot dogs, kettle corn, deep-fried stuff, and of course… funnel cakes.
• There were more attractions for kids, which I think make or break an event.  There were two bounce houses, a cool barrel ride, and several booths sponsored by local churches with games geared toward small children.
• There was a booth to beat up a car with a sledge hammer.  It seems you can find a purpose for vehicles that would normally be on blocks in someone’s driveway.
• Some booth was giving away these blow-up, blue, noise-sticks that kids were beating each other with.  You can’t go wrong with inflatable sticks of terror!
• More importantly, more of our local businesses were show-casing their products and/or services.  Residents need to be made aware of what St. Clair businesses have to offer.

CONS

• While the stage area was somewhat okay, the band we heard sounded more like a sound-check than a band you would pay to entertain.  A fellow, unnamed attendee made this comment, “They sounded pretty good until they started to sing!”  I was not impressed.  There a good handful of local bands to choose from.  Pick one!
• There were several bottlenecks walking down main street and it seemed like you got stuck in line if friends started visiting with one another.  This is just a suggestion for next year, but how about putting all of the booths on one side of the street, leaving the rest of the street open for pedestrian attendees to walk.  There aren’t enough booths to fill up both sides anyway.
• More kids stuff!  Even though the bounce houses were adequate, we can do better.  Cater to children and their parents will follow.
• More promotional give-away stuff.  Local businesses, this is your opportunity to really get your name out there.  Hold free raffles and give away stuff to remind people of your business.  If you want St. Clair residents to stay in town to buy the goods they buy, keep their interests here.  Sponsor events and make sure an announcer says your business name so potential customers can hear it.
• If we insist on having a beer garden, have it on a side street away from the festivities on Main Street.  I don’t want to drag my children through that.
• City officials, this is also a great opportunity to meet the fine citizens of St. Clair.  If you were there, I wouldn’t have known it.  Make yourselves known and listen to the people who live here.  Perfect time to establish relationships and answer questions.  Also, highlight local businesses as you talk to St. Clair’s citizens.
• No carnival rides.  If we don’t have them for stupid insurance issues or something dumb like that… forget that.  People ride them expecting to get trapped upside-down halfway through the ride or throwing up their hotdog(s).  We MUST employ the carnies of the world.  MUST!
• Ladies… and I can’t emphasize this more… no one wants to see you walk down Main Street in “less-than-flattering” apparel.  Please remember that small children will be walking that same street.  Reserve that behavior for your home or a bar somewhere, not in public.

I bet Tim Davis could make this car look brand new!

So this review verdict on Main Street Festival?  I’d have to give it a three funnel cakes out of five for getting better, but definitely no “Festival Days”.

Now, to get back to my trash-bag full of kettle corn!  ;)