                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996         TAG: 9609240179
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 04   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Cover Story 
                                            LENGTH:   54 lines

NEPTUNE FESTIVAL

Festival event held in burned-out location

YOU COULD PET a pig, milk a cow, ride in a mule cart, clog to the Dallas band's country music and eat your fill of barbecue or Bergey's ice cream among other treats Saturday at the annual Country Fair Day at the Farmer's Market.

Part of the 23rd annual Neptune Festival, the event was held at its traditional location, despite a devastating fire last month that ruined much of the 20-year-old market's wooden structure.

Some of the burned out vendors, including Bergey's and Hare Farms, were there for the day, operating out of temporary quarters. Some market vendors had petitions available Saturday for people to sign urging the city to rebuild the market in its present location.

See Beach Break on Page 6 for a listing of continuing Neptune Festival events. ILLUSTRATION: KING OF THE SEA

[Cover, Color photo]

Thomas R. Frantz

Plenty of old-fashioned fun at the city's country fair

King Neptune, Thomas Frantz, shows he's a good sport as he milks a

cow at the Country Fair at Farmer's Market. Some of the burned out

vendors, such as Bergey's and Hare Farms, were operating out of

temporary quarters.

Staff photos by

DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH

AT LEFT: Linda Hatfield of the Dallas Band sings to Bill Johnson

during the Country Fair entertainment. The band's country music was

just right for clogging.

Mules, pigs and petitions

Staff photos by

DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH

AT LEFT: Edith Williams signs the petition to keep the Farmer's

Market at its present location as she shops at Holland's produce

stand. Holland's was one of the stands that survived the fire.

ABOVE: Frankie Everton drives a team of mules, and Nancy Harvey

brings her three children, Melinda, 7; Hannah, 4; and Noah, 3

months, along for the ride at the Country Fair.

AT RIGHT: Leah Dimeck, who came to the fair with her mom and dad,

Stacy and Tom Dimeck, pets a pig.

KEYWORDS: NEPTUNE FESTIVAL by CNB