Celebrate Princeton, Chevy Mountain Festival both successful
Jun. 13—BLUEFIELD — Stadium Drive in Bluefield and Mercer Street in Princeton were quiet Monday after a carnival, vendors and entertainment brought days of fun and family memories to Mercer County residents and visitors from across the region.
The Cole Chevy Mountain Festival concluded Sunday after providing 10 days of rides with the James H. Drew Carnival, sideshow acts, real sea lions, a wide variety of food.
Carnival rides, special shows such as World of Wonders and Sea Lion Splash were waiting when members of the public started arriving June 2. Exact attendance figures were unavailable, but Jeff Disibbio, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias said feedback from participants showed that the turnout was impressive.
"Based on a lot of the numbers and discussions with our local vendors and participants as well as the James H. drew staff, by all reports it was a more successful year than we've had in several years," he said.
The Bluefield Police Department and Bluefield, Va., Police Department had officers at the fairgrounds during the festival.
"We want to specifically thank not only our sponsors but all the citizens that came out to make it a successful show not only in participation but adhering to family values as well," Disibbio said. "Also we want to thank the city and town for providing police security which ensured that we had a fun and safe event."
Visitors were able to enjoy the Cole Chevy Mountain Festival's bright lights, boisterous music and the shouts of riders enjoying the carnival, but a special time called the Quiet Carnival was set aside for special people who could find the flashing lights and loud music troublesome. World of Wonders and Sea Lion Splash presented shows crafted for the many special guests and their families. Games, food and rides were part of the experience, too.
"We were kind of anticipating about 100 people for our Quiet Carnival, and the approximate head count while they were at the sea lion show was almost 400," Disibbio recalled. "It was a great event. We were so happy we were able to do it. We had great feedback to the parents."
A few parents provided some critiques that will help future Quiet Carnivals be even better experiences in the future, he added.
Cole Chevy, First Community Bank, Summit Bank, Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center, WVU-Princeton Community Hospital, MEFCOR Outdoors, the chamber and the James H. Drew Carnival covered the Quiet Carnival's cost, Disibbio said. The games, entertainment, drinks and food were free.
Vendors offering everything from traditional festival food such as corndogs and funnel cakes to others serving barbecue, Caribbean food and even Thai Fusion cuisine brought in visitors who came only to eat, Disibbio said.
"This year we had more people come and eat because of the food we had there," he stated. 'They would come eat and leave, and they would come multiple nights."
In Princeton, Mercer Street was closed off Saturday for the Celebrate Princeton Street Fair. Vendors, performers, art and live music filled the day's agenda as people from across the region roamed Mercer Street.
"It was spectacular," said Lori McKinney, one of the celebration's organizers. "We were very pleased with the turnout, the weather and community spirit that was present. We had about 100 vendors, in addition to all our wonderful downtown businesses."
Exact attendance figures were not available, but McKinney said that more people appeared to show up for the 2023 event.
"It's always so hard to measure attendance, but this one seemed about 15 percent bigger turnout than festivals I remember," she said.
The pandemic curtailed public gatherings like the Celebrate Princeton Street Fair, but people were enjoying the chance Saturday to get together.
"We're grateful to provide these special experiences to our community once again," McKinney said. "Sometimes you do a double take and think, wow. There was a time when we longed for this and wondered if we would ever be able to do it again, and here we are. People seem to be more appreciative now more than ever for this type of gathering."
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
