Organizers are calling the 42nd annual Thamesville Threshing Festival another success.
“We did see some attendance up a little in the midway area,” Kristy Metcalfe, the advertising chair and secretary for the Festival, told the Sydenham Current.
“We had a new midway provider this year and it was extremely well received. So we found the crowds busier than normal on the Friday and Saturday night, which was nice.”
Metcalfe said there were around 100 entries for the Friday night parade.
“Because of the forecast going in, I think some stayed away,” she said.
“They were a little gun shy to attend and we were also competing with some area Canada Day Parades this weekend as well. It was a pretty average parade. Just a little over an hour long.”
The annual games were a hit as well, Metcalfe said.
“The frog jumping contest is always a fan favourite and we had a great turn out for that,” she said.
“There were many, many kids for the baby show as well, and then of course they migrate to the frog jumping contest afterward. Then directly following the frog jump, we had the Silver Stars Drill Team, which is a horse drill team from the Essex area. They came and performed and did a really cool show for us. An hour long show, so it really held the attention of the younger crowd for sure.”
Metcalfe said thousands of people came through the event.
“We don’t count entry to the park itself, so I couldn’t even begin to guess how many families came through the midway area and the events,” she said.
“What we do count is the beer garden area. So on Friday we had over 1,100 people and then throughout the day we had over 1,200 people Saturday into Saturday night. So that alone is tracked, but not necessarily the park. So my anticipation is that there was at least a few thousand people throughout the park over the weekend.”
Metcalfe added: “It was a great weekend. The weather stayed really nice for us and we were really happy with the turn out. The fireworks were outstanding. They were Canada themed with a lot of red and white. We sold over 400 chicken dinners. So that’s a lot. Families this year complimented the size of the midway. For being such a small town, they were really impressed by the midway. We had Campbell Amusements this year and it was the first time we had ever had them. They brought eight rides that older children would enjoy and that’s not typical for a small town.”
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– Photo credit: Tami Eagen
