City Fest brings out the crowd
Sep. 17—The plaza outside Keene Johnson was filled with Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) students and other members of the community on Thursday night as City Fest returned.
Held for over 15 years now, the event is a collaboration between EKU and the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and is one of the only opportunities for local businesses to interact with students on campus.
According to Richmond Chamber of Commerce Interim President and EKU grad Madison Pergrem, approximately 80 vendors were set up at this year's City Fest
"We've had so many students out here. Vendors and everybody is enthusiastic about the event. People are getting free food. They love free food and free shirts. The energy here is great," Pergrem said.
Roughly an hour into the event, Pergrem estimated that at least 1,000 students had came through City Fest.
The Joint Chiropractic was the presenting sponsor of the event.
In a first for the event, local band Paint Creek performed. Pergrem said several members of the band are EKU graduates. The EKU Pep Band also performed.
Among the vendors set up at the event was Purdy's Coffee. Free cups of cold brew and drip coffee were given out for City Fest. Attendees also played a round of coffee pong at the booth and received a sticker and a token for a free drink at Purdy's.
"I've got a few extra responsibilities like taking inventories, placing orders, stuff like that... We've got our new specialty drink called the Golden Pioneer," said Kenzie Walters, shift lead at Purdy's and EKU student. "It's really cool to see a place that I love to work at and the people that I love come into school where I'm at. I'm really glad I got to be here."
