This festival just continues to grow each year! I genuinely love checking out Festival in the Park…read moreevery single year, because there's always something new to see. There's probably hundreds of vendors at this point, from food, drinks, desserts, artists, charities, jewelry. I mean there's SO much to see at this festival! My favorite part about it is the live music. My friends and I always bring a blanket and just come lay out there and enjoy the live band. This year it was actually the same singer as last year and she was great!!! Love her voice and she always sings upbeat songs everyone knows. It's always a whole vibe. We grab food and bring our own cooler and just pick a spot up on the hill and enjoy. That's exactly what we did this year too. For food I couldn't decide what I wanted so I kinda settled for a gyro and it was pretty good, all things considered. The fries we great though! Nice to have so many food options available though. I'll continue to come to this festival year after year!! Definitely a lifetime fan.

I enjoy FITP every year. The variety of vendors lets me purchase items I can't find in my weekly…read morejourneys. It's great to find something I've never seen before. I stopped by a cookie vendor, deliciousness! However, the food lines are typically ridiculously long. Not my speed. There should be a vendor who sells water only for one price. Parking is a task and requires a lot of patience. It may help to catch a ride and skip parking altogether.

This was our second time coming to the Strawberry Festival. The last time we went was 8-10 years…read moreago. We enjoyed ourselves each time. Tips: Arrive first thing when they open to avoid traffic and finding a spot to park. They have several different lots to choose from - some will shuttle you or others are a short walk. We chose the lot with the short walk. Bring cash for this - it's $5. Arriving early allows you to walk around to each of the vendors before it gets slammed just to check things out. Lines for food started early, so if you think about having lunch at 12, be prepared for long lines. We had no issues with vendors accepting credit card or cash. Bring water. We brought our hydroflask filled with water and ice which was nice because it gets warm fast. What I love: That each vendor had at least one menu item featuring strawberries - whether it is a dessert or a meal. If you love strawberries like me, you can find a lot of great items to fill you up! Look forward to it again next year, it's a great time!

AMAZING fun time for the whole family! Great food selection from many LOCAL food establishments…read morethat have their own trucks. A standard set of faire food too... YES on the FUNNEL CAKE! A good set of rides for kids aged 8-12 years old. Prices are carnival-level... not cheap... but understandable. LOTS of lawn and grass areas to hang out. LOTS of police and safety folks very visible. All the tent vendors are in the shade, so it was easy and nice to walk around and visit them out from the sun. LOTS of toilets... AND a physical toilet building for those that dont like the plastic portable toilets. There is a NEW kids area they built in the park and they had it fenced in so the kids would not be running away and out of parent control, it was like a mini-day-care. Excellent selection of local and appropriate music to listen to that was at appropriate volume levels to be able to enjoy. Parking was difficult, but there were bus shuttles to the local school that ran every few minutes, so that was helpful. They had a classic car show, that was fun to walk around. I think they should have had more 'competition' style activities.

I decided to make this my cheat day at the CLT Donut Festival. Off gate I bought the just treat…read moreticket which included 8 treat tickets. It was at Norfolk Hall. Let me say this place is right next to Suffolk Punch so you better come early to find parking, park in garage or come in on the train. The best vendor donuts were Milkbread who gave you a whole donut and DonutNV because they taste like light funnel cake. I had a new sparkling water that I loved. Only thing no seating just a few high ball tables one reason we didn't stay longer. Nice outing and I would go again and for a good cause Testicular Cancer.

Yearly event in downtown Columbia at the Greek Orthodox Church. They have music, food, and…read morevendors. I try to go every year. It is free and a lot of fun for all ages. I have elementary school children that really hard a good time. The live music and the dancing were the biggest hits for them. I loved the food. I cannot wait until next year

This festival is held yearly and typically, every year I go…read more This year was a great one like all the rest. I made a purchase for gyro's and two chicken plates. I bought the plates for my kiddos! Sorry, no pics. This year, the crowds were nice. As you might know, the past two years, it wasn't as large. It was nice to attend and I am definitely looking forward to going next year

Well folks here is another festival my wife and i went to in June 2016 and we will be back again!…read moreWhy? Because it was super fun and not to big. It showcased how country folks enjoy the day and the harvesting of their crops. This festival is located in Trenton, SC, head north then turn left towards GA you'll see it on your right! When we arrived we found ample parking, We parked so close you could smell the peaches! The layout of the festival highlights the main stage on one side and the peaches for sale on the other , with vendors and craftsman all around. The food area was in the back. It was sponsored by "Billy's Super Store". I guess they wanted you to exercise as you go get a deep fried Oreo, or a Big Boy Cookie! Ok the Big Boy Cookies are amazing! They do deliver! We found a number of vendors selling homemade items we haven't seen elsewhere, for a good price.Good thing the car was parked close! Whether you love crafts, tractors (I do love tractors!) sweet looking cars, or delicious food, the Ridge Peach Festival has something for everyone, even my Yankee wife!. A Country Store featuring home canned peach preserves, jams, and jellies, along with peach desserts and ice cream are all waiting for you to eat and buy! And we did! The peaches were harvested that morning at Trenton farms down the road a piece and we were able to buy a large basket of peaches for only $10! and they were only three hours off the tree when we bought them! We went to one of the food vendors and i ordered a hot dog with everything with fries and my wife had the cheeseburger with everything. It was fun to watch them cook on the grill and talk to them. we found a table with a good view of the parade which was getting ready to start. Nothing makes a day better than eating good food and watching a country parade! Oh yes it was really a country parade, all with a band, firetrucks, cloggers, horses and bikers! Fun to watch as we devoured our lunch but we still had some room for the specialty of the fair, peach ice cream! Dear me the line was long for the ice cream but I must say it was worth it! So fresh and creamy. They had a really nice children's area sponsored by "Log Creek Timber and Ridge Parts and Supply" Did I mention we were in the country? Over all we really had a great time in this small town. I was told by one of the vendors this festival has been around since 1970 and they were expecting about 15,000 folks here! All I can say was when we were leaving there lines of cars down the road waiting to get in. I encourage everyone down here in the lowcountry to try some of the small town festival and be sure to eat a fried Oreo! By the way their porta a potties were super clean and nice smelling. In fact they had folks whose only job that day was to keep them clean! Now that's friendly!

This was my first time here and it was super cute. I came with my fiance and we quickly realized…read morethis farm is a great place to bring kiddos so they can experience a fun fall festival environment. As for us adult kids it wasn't as exciting. There's lots of activities, photo opps and pumpkins to peruse. But in comparison to another spot we've been to we felt like there were some options missing for us personally. This isn't a knock to Hodges, just a personal preference. Now, if you have family in town and kiddos in tow this place is PERFECT! I would definitely recommend it for a fun fall time. Parking was easy, even on a super busy Saturday. There's plenty of signage so you know what's going on in all areas. The animals were pretty cool inside the barn too.

We went back this year around the same time but instead of a weekday we went on a Sunday. There was…read morea much bigger crowd but there lots of parking. Still lots of photo opps all around the farm. We were able to do participate in some new things since it was the weekend; like their Hayrides/Tractor Ride. The line was never not long but it was something to do. The ride itself is about 15 minutes and takes you around the farm. We grabbed some popcorn before getting on it though. It's freshly popped and so delicious! We also go to visit the petting area and feed some of the goats, sheep, cows and rabbits. Our toddlers had a blast! Good family fun for the fall season. && I got a funnel cake before we left (topping choices powder sugar, Carmel, chocolate, and strawberry syrup). The wind made it colder on the pumpkin side of the farm and unfortunately they didn't have warm apple cider. I expected them to have something warm that kids could drink (non coffee). Tips: Bring a blanket for inside the wagon. Don't wear your nice shoes. Bring a tripod or stand for photos.

Oh what memories! Back in the 1980's and early 1990's, this festival was called Stumptown Festival…read more Just before I was born (in the 1970's), my parents, older sister and brother lived mere blocks from here and would walk to the parade then the festival and walk through the booths. Eventually, they moved a few miles away, then my younger sister, and all 6 of us would come to the parade, then walk through the area with booths carefully avoiding the ride area as my parents could not afford to let us ride any of them, or buy the food. Fast forward to my teenage years in late 1980's, early 1990's, where we would come with friends, ride the rides, go through the booth area, buy all we wanted. My last actual time I was able to walk through the entire festival was back in 2003, when I came down to help my mother after a surgery. My last trip to Charlotte (Labor Day weekend 2018), I dragged my parents here on the Sunday. We were early-ish. We walked through some of it, but were unable to enjoy the full affect as they were still opening. This is a small town festival that is fairly inexpensive to do. Homemade items for sale. Some of the booths with items for sale are in the elementary school, which has been updated since the last time I was here. There are stages with live music, and other entertainment. A great time to be had by all. I did not get many pictures of my own as I was busy chatting with my parents, but check out the links below. Parking can be difficult at best. Crowds can be thick in places. For more information: https://www.matthewsalive.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MatthewsAlive

It was 7PM. I'd just gotten my car back (I have it on Turo, which is basically Airbnb, but with…read morecars). Having been in the house all day, I hadn't been able to keep my streak going on Pokémon Go! This being an inscrutable state of affairs, I decided that, instead of driving home, I'd head to one of my main Pokémoning sites: downtown Matthews. I arrived, parking as I do most often in the library/town hall parking lot (small town = multi-use public buildings. The court house in chapel hill is also the post office for example). I takedown all of the gyms in the area, set my guys in them, and then go Pokémon walking. To my pleasant surprise, the legendary gym I was walking to happened to fall smack-dab in the middle of a whole festival! I'm never one to turn down the opportunity at giant smoked turkey legs and deep fried Oreos - both of which are available at multiple vendors along the main walk - so I decide to stop Pokémoning for the moment and take in the event. Live music is a wonderful thing, and they have an entire soundstage set up just for it. The genre of choice seems to be bad country, which ain't my bag, baby, so I keep it moving. I recommend going at night. There are few things in life as immediately disarming as neon lights against an ebony sky, especially when those lights signal funnel cake and rides. Oh yeah, there are carnival rides in full effect. All the good hurlers, too. The ones that make your kids sick. The ones from which memories are built. Anywho, so there I am, hunting for the best giant smoked turkey leg, when I catch the Devine odor of cured pork fat. I know this can only mean one thing: bacon. There's a vendor that wraps everything in bacon. EVERYTHING. IN. BACON. I had bacon wrapped BBQ. That's right, I was in pigception. And it was glorious. I also had a pretty decent crabcake sammich (bun as set dressing only, I swear) and I cheated a bit, and got a refreshing frozen blueberry lemonade. I didn't stay long, but what I saw left a good taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively). Then I went back to catching all the Pokémon, so, you know, I was productive.

I can't tell you how upset I am with this festival. I saw the billboard advertising it on 77SB! And…read moremy love for watermelon. Sold.. I drove 1 hr and 5mins. Stayed less than a hour. No watermelon of any kind. No food. No drinks. No slices of watermelon for sale.. The usual greasy food, corn dog, fennel cake. But I swear they should rename the damn festival to just Pageland Festival. Didn't like how I drive all this way to be lied too!

this year was awful. we stayed for all of an hour! I was looking for watermelon ice cream, which I…read morehave gotten in years past. NONE. a lot less stuff that in the past. Went on Saturday and there wasn't a large crowd either. paid $4 for a greasy corn dog- don't think I will come back in the future