Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 27, 1993 TAG: 9402110004
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Sprawled out on the grasses of Elmwood Park, they listened to the country crooning of Randal Hall and His Fugitives, the classical sounds of the Roanoke Symphony at its first outdoor concert, and the rockin' tunes of the Royal Kings. Car fiends found the antique car show and sports car gymkhana (sort of like an auto obstacle course) to rev their engines, while art lovers checked out the Sidewalk Art Show. Kids rode ponies and attended movies - for free - at the Jefferson Theatre.
That was June 1970. Simpler days, when folks did one thing at a time.
Thanks to the fashion merry-go-round, some folks will be back at this year's Festival bedecked in the same attire. But their numbers will be even bigger.
Looking at the 1993 schedule of events, it's easy to see why.
While the first Festival, an enlargement of the Spring Market Festival that Downtown Roanoke Inc. began in 1968, featured most entertainment centered around the Elmwood Park amphitheater, this year's has no center at all. If you want to be entertained, you can go almost anywhere in the Star City, at almost any time.
Let's take a breather while we contemplate this year's schedule.
As you can see below, it's BIG. Memorial Day weekend and the following weekend offer full days of music, sports, kids' stuff and food. These sandwich the weekdays - not a part of the 1970 Festival - which feature lunch in the park plus entertainment.
Deciding how to spend your time at Festival could be the most monumental decision you'll make this summer, because no matter where you are or what you're doing, there's always something else happening somewhere else.
To get you started, Festival planners have given you a headstart. Tonight at 7 p.m. - with no conflicting activities - is the Festival fund-raiser, An Evening Under the Stars: Putting on the Ritz at Monte Carlo. This is one of the few Festival events that will cost you money, $25 to be exact.
But for that money, you'll be entertained by the Casablanca orchestra and excerpts from Mill Mountain Theatre's ``The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.'' You'll also sample the delicacies of 17 Roanoke restaurants. One catch: Leave your bell bottoms in the closet; this gig's formal.
Things get tricky past tonight, however. You can only hope you make it till Tuesday, when single events rule for three days (read: Hold your breath till then, and plunge head-first into the weekend).
On Friday, you must make your first choice: The Victory Stadium Kick-Off Concert or Mill Mountain Theatre's ``The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.'' (Hint: The play will also be staged Saturday and Sunday). Both require the $2 Festival button for admission ($5 if purchased at the gate at Victory Stadium).
The kick-off concert will feature Festival favorite The Marshall Tucker Band at 9:30 p.m. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., however, when Botetourt County's J.D. Myers and the Hard Core Country Boys and The Outlaws take the stage. After the show, stick around for the fireworks at 10:45.
On Saturday and beyond, the number of decisions you make will likely overtake your mind. Among Saturday's events, there's the River Race at Smith Park from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the Waterfront Stage there featuring bluegrass tunes by bands from the Roanoke Fiddle and Banjo Club from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and a host of children's activities from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
And that's just at Smith Park.
Beginning at 8 a.m. in Wasena Park, the Young Life Volleyball Tournament will roll till 6 p.m. and resume Sunday at 9 a.m. At River's Edge Sports Complex and other parks, the Crestar Festival Soccer Tournament will kick off at 8 a.m. and continue Sunday at 9 a.m.
And, at Elmwood Park - the Festival's birthplace, if you will - concessions, arts and crafts, and music at the gazebo fill the day. At night, the amphitheatre opens at 6 with rock-n-roll. Keep your eyes peeled for 1964 As the Beatles at 8:30 p.m. (You can wear your platforms here).
So as not to shock your system, Sunday offers more of the same. The sport events continue, with the addition of the ROC Hill Climb Time Trial Bike Race up Mill Mountain.
Children's activities move to Elmwood Park where the concessions, arts and crafts show, Kaleidoscope Children's Theatre, Circus Days Caravan Circus Encampment, and four stages offering music and dance vie for your attention.
Of course, you won't want to miss the children's parade - Heroes in Motion - at 4 p.m. down Jefferson Street, featuring huge balloons, walking characters and kids dressed as their favorite heroes.
Still holding your breath? Good. Monday looks only slightly easier.
Elmwood Park is the only Festival location Memorial Day, but don't let that fool you into believing there are no decisions to be made. The Saturn Festival Cup bike race joins the activities from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Four stages still fill the day with music and dance groups, as does the children's theatre.
Ahhh. Tuesday's here. Through Friday, you can relax in the afternoon at Lunch in the Park. If only you could get out of work, too.
Gearing back up for the last Festival weekend, June 4, offers another taste of country at Victory Stadium where Blackwater, Great Plains and Marty Stuart take the stage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Again, this will cost you a $2 Festival button if you have it before you get there ($5 at the gate).
June 5 and 6 resemble the first Festival weekend, with the First Union Bank Festival Classic Run taking the place of the other sport events on June 5, and the annual Sidewalk Art Show taking the seats of last week's crafters. Three stages in Elmwood Park offer day-long entertainment, with the amphitheatre stage rocking into the night June 5 with TFC as the Drifters at 8:45 p.m.
Also on June 5, The Arts Place at Old First will host international storytelling, while the Moyer Field Sports Complex in Salem (yes, Salem) comes to life with the Moore's First Annual Festival Softball Tournament. The Rainbo IronKids Bread Triathlon is June 6 at Fallon Park at 8 a.m.
To reward your weary mind after 10 days of arduous decision-making, June 6's Grand Finale at 5 p.m. is the only place to be. Captain Cook and the Coconutz will present their musical tribute to Jimmy Buffett at Elmwood Park's amphitheatre. (By this time, nobody cares what you wear, just so long as you wear something.)
If you've done the Festival before, you know where we're coming from. If not, be prepared: rip this schedule out, map your itinerary, plan your wardrobe and get plenty of rest.
Just think, a successful round on this year's Festival circuit will dub you a pro for next year. And you'll need all the practice you can get for '94, when Festival in the Park turns the big 25, and the simpler days of one-thing-at-a-time are forever wiped away.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***