ThisWeek CW 09/17/2015
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/09/14/largest-crowd-yet-attends-annual-labor-day-festival.html
according to Mayor Michael Ebert.
He estimated this year’s attendance at more than 40,000.
The festival, held Sept. 5-7, drew record crowds Saturday and Sunday evenings, due in part to this year’s headline entertainers, Bon Journey and Hotel California, he said.
“We had the largest crowds on Saturday and Sunday evenings we have ever had that I can recall,” Ebert said. “And our daytime crowds were steady, but the heat may have kept some people away.”
Attendees packed High Street for the Sunday night performance by Hotel California. The band is billed as the only Eagles cover band recognized by the Eagles themselves, and the city had to book the band almost two years ago.
“The entire festival committee was really looking forward to feedback on our entertainment lineup for this year and based on what we heard, I think we hit a home run,” Ebert said.
Each year, the Labor Day Festival kicks off with the Peggy Wood Scholarship Pageant in the Oley Speaks Auditorium. This year’s winners included:
* Miss Canal Winchester, Kailin Clymer; First Attendant, Joelle Zuberi; Second Attendant, Mckenzie Kiser
* Miss Congeniality, Joelle Zuberi
* Junior Miss Canal Winchester, Anna Ratliff; First Attendant, Rachel Connors; Second Attendant, Avery Nack
* Little Miss Canal Winchester, Britton Whitworth; First Attendant, Grace Brinker; Second Attendant, Skyler Benson
* Tiny Miss Canal Winchester, Isabella Busey; First Attendant, Justice Chetwood; Second Attendant, Julia Paini
This year’s car show drew more than 170 participants.
“There were lots of fantastic-looking vehicles and a wide variety of makes and models,” Ebert said. “My choice this year (for the Mayor’s Choice award) was a yellow 1965 Plymouth Satellite — it was sweet!”
He said the festival drew the most sponsors this year than in recent memory “and we want throw out a ‘thank you’ to all the vendors who saw through the changes we made to the layout. From what we heard, for several it turned out to be their best year, also.”