Maifest one of top festivals - 150,000 people are expected
By Mike Rutledge
Post staff reporter
MainStrasse Village's Maifest has again been named one of the Top 20 festivals and events to be held next month in the Southeastern United States.
This will be the Covington neighborhood's 25th annual Maifest. For those who haven't attended Maifest in Covington, it's like Oktoberfest during May, or Mai, as Germans spell it.
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Other events |
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Other MainStrasse events scheduled for this summer:
• 2nd Sunday Antiques Marketplace -- May 9, June 13, July 11, Aug. 8, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• 1st Friday Gallery Hop -- The first Friday of each month, 6-10 p.m.
• MainStrasse Village "Original" Goetta Festival, sponsored by J.B.'s Bar-B-Q and MainStrasse Village River Raid Renaissance Festival -- June 19 and 20, noon-9 p.m.
• Rock Around the Clock Sock Hop -- July 17, 7-11 p.m.
• MainStrasse Village Classic Car Show -- July 18, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. |
"There really isn't a big difference," said Donna Kremer of the MainStrasse Village Association. "It's the same format.
"Maifest is to celebrate the first spring wine, theoretically, and Oktoberfest is in honor of the first Oktoberfest, which was King Ludwig's wedding, in the 1800s, in Bavaria. But for our purposes, they're basically the same."
Lots of places have Oktoberfest celebrations, but relatively few celebrate Maifest, noted Stephanie Newton, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta-based, nonprofit Southeast Tourism Society, which compiles the Top 20 lists.
The panel of judges picks events in the 11-state region based on the fun factor and their reflection of life in the South, among other criteria, Newton said. Judges also like to see events that are growing, she said.
The event also has a great German atmosphere, Newton observed: "They've done a great job with their German village."
"We have received the Top 20 awards for Maifest and Oktoberfest repeatedly," Kremer said. "It's one we're always proud to receive, too."
Two years ago, Leisure Group Travel Magazine ranked Maifest among its Top 50 events in North America.
Maifest, expected to draw about 150,000 people May 14, 15 and 16, will have 75 to 100 arts and crafts vendors, and 25-30 food booths, she said. The festival also will have has three stages for variety of music, including the Goebel Park Stage, where the entertainment will be "All German, All Weekend."
In the beauty of Goebel Park, visitors can pretend they are in Munich, promoters say. Or, they can move to the Festival Stage or the Main Street Stage for pop, rock, blues and country music. There also will be an amusement midway for older children and adults, with a Kinderplatz, filled with rides for younger children.
Other events the Southeast Tourism Society is touting for May include the Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, Ga.; Cuba Nostalgia in Miami, Fla.; the Sumter Iris Festival in Sumter, S.C.; and Mudbug Madness, which celebrates the crawfish, in Shreveport, La.
Publication Date: 04-27-2004
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