By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Mayfest, Atmore’s celebration of Spring and its springboard into summer, will take place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. this Saturday, May 3, with a few changes from the community festival’s normal format.
Several thousand residents and visitors are expected to mingle at Tom Byrne Park, where nearly 100 vendors will be doing business or providing information at the ring of booths that surround the park. Carnival food and standard food fare will be available, as will a plethora of arts and craft, baked goods and other items from across Lower Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
“We already have 95 or 96 vendors,” said Addison Long, executive director of Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, the event’s sponsor, around noon on Friday, April 25. Long pointed out that if pre-event interest is any measure, this year’s crowd could be a large one.
“I think we’re going to have a good crowd,” she said. “Last year [when a crowd of roughly 4,000 enjoyed the day], we got around 300 Facebook visits before Mayfest. This year, we’ve already gotten over 1,000.”
The Saturday gathering will also allow those who couldn’t attend the previous night’s Miss Mayfest Pageant to get a look at the winners from each age division (from 3-18 years) of the various competitions. The pageant will take place Friday night, May 2, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Escambia County High School’s auditorium.
“We have 27 Miss Mayfest contestants this year,” the Chamber’s executive director said. “That’s a pretty good number. [Last year’s pageant drew 24 entries].”
One of the most popular portions of Mayfest is the annual Beautiful Baby Contest, which will begin at 10 a.m., when young ladies and young men ages 3 months to 3 years strut their stuff on the park’s gazebo for ribbons in several categories.
This year’s festival will include a pickleball tournament instead of the usual softball tournament. Starting at 7:30 a.m., teams of pickle-ballers (ages 16 and up) will compete for cash prizes in the Open Class competition on the park’s tennis courts.
Entertainment will be provided throughout the day by country-pop singer-musicians Kyle Dorriety of Atmore and Ryan Dakota of Semmes, and, as always, there will be a children’s area where kids of all ages can enjoy inflatables and other fun activities.
The weather foreast for Mayfest is almost a carbon copy of last year’s, when temperatures leveled off in the mid-80s and a 35 percent chance of showers never materialized. This year’s projections include mid-80-degree temperatures and a 40 percent chance of afternoon showers.
Long agreed the annual celebration has “something for everyone” and encouraged local and area residents to come out and enjoy food, fun and fellowship.