THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606090091
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 63 lines
Megan Diggs tried to tag along with her older brothers, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let the 3-year-old venture into Fun Town.
There were thousands of people at the Seawall Festival, and Megan's parents, Ron and Cynthia, thought the toddler was too small to wander off.
She started to cry as she watched her siblings disappear into the corridors of Fun Town to tackle the maze-like obstacle course. Minutes later, 8-year-old Marcus and 6-year-old Matthew resurfaced, only to beg Dad for more tickets.
Trying to please all of the Diggs children, Ron took Megan's hand and walked with Marcus and Matthew to the Lost Mine ride, where they boarded together.
``We were supposed to see the Ohio Players,'' Cynthia Diggs said as she watched her family weave in and out of sight. ``The kids take priority. They always do.''
But on a hot Saturday evening in Portsmouth, the Diggses were not the only ones catering to their youngsters. There was plenty of frolicking and fun for all at Seaport, the site of the annual Seawall Festival.
In the carnival atmosphere, festival-goers surrounded themselves with good eats and treats, ranging from sweet, sugary, cotton candy to powdered funnel cake. The smell of roasted hot dogs wafted about, and a station serving fresh-brewed iced tea on the sunny day was a blessing.
A clown decked in a green-and-blue striped shirt, a feathered neon orange wig and big blue-, yellow- and red-colored shoes, paraded around the kids.
Across a path lined with vendors and games, children and parents lined up to catch a thrill on Zipper, which swirled its passengers in dizzying circles. As revelers walked the perimeters, dozens of gamekeepers called out to them, inviting them to pitch a ball or take a shot.
Eric Freman, from San Diego, had doubts. His friend tried to persuade him, but he refused to try his hand at a dart-throwing challenge. Still, he had fun just revisiting Portsmouth and a festival he hadn't attended in 10 years.
``This is fantastic. This is the kind of thing Portsmouth and Norfolk need to do more,'' he said. ``It's even bigger than it was when it first started.''
Vendors were pleased, too. Douglas Perkins of Tea-Terrific was happy that his business could stand on its own.
``When they first started they had too many vendors all selling the same thing,'' he said. ``Now we're spread out and we're not hurting everybody's business.''
Lots of folks who had sampled both the Seawall Festival and Harborfest across the river had an opinion about which was the best. Issac Hickman considered the question as he relished a cool breeze on the ferry from Portsmouth to Norfolk.
``It was the best over there,'' he said, pointing back to the Seawall Festival. ``It was good rides and a good experience for me.'' ILLUSTRATION: MIKE HEFFNER color photos/The Virginian-Pilot
The Elizabeth River Ferry shuttled festival-goers from Harborfest to
the Seawall Festival Saturday afternoon.
Debbie MacDonald of Norfolk, who came to Harborfest with her
sisters, enjoys the Classic IV's performance of ``Good Lovin' '' at
the Waterside Festival Stage. by CNB