DATE: Thursday, October 23, 1997            TAG: 9710230112
SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   56 lines

TOWN'S FESTIVAL EVOLVES INTO BIG EVENT

DRIVER DAYS Fall Festival, a celebration of community spirit and local color, is expected to draw thousands of visitors this weekend to the tiny crossroads hamlet of Driver in northeast Suffolk.

Down home hospitality, diverse musicians, historical re-enactors and craftsmen have attracted increasing crowds since the festival began in 1994.

Driver, still looking much like the thriving little country town it was 70 years ago, will become even more of a time machine as history buffs congregate to re-enact medieval jousts, Civil War encampments, a Korean War era MASH unit encampment and frontier adventures.

The Wild Bunch, a group of mounted wild west re-enactors, will erect a small tent city just off the crossroads. It will include a sheriff's office, laundry and saloon. There will be cooking demonstrations and an occasional gunfight.

More than 75 vehicles are expected to cruise into town on Saturday, including Ford model A's, vintage Volkswagon bugs, a Rolls Royce or two, pick ups from the '50's, and a score of classic street and hot rods.

``We are just a bunch of grown men showing off our toys,'' said Danny Crawford, owner of a 1934 Ford coupe street rod.

Also new this year are the Blue Knights, law enforcement and public safety professionals who are also bikers and who will have their motorcyles on display.

Musical entertainment, featuring country western, acoustic rock, and vocals as well as Christian music, will be continuous, interspersed with line dancing and old fashioned cakewalks. Driver, a country rock band named for the village, reunited to perform at the festival twice on Sunday.

As always, there is a chance to shop at a unique variety of stores for antiques, home furnishings, camouflage hunting gear, western wear, pecan shellers, plants for fall and winter landscaping or a six foot tall lighted, wire sculpture of a flamingo.

Tom Clark, a North Carolina artist who specializes in gnome figures, will stop by Driver on Sunday to display and sign his works.

Over the last four years, Driver has blossomed from a sleepy crossroads tucked along a curve of Nansemond Parkway just five miles from the bustle of the Chesapeake Square area into a thriving suburb. Several new housing developments have boosted the area's population, drawing families from surrounding cities to Driver's rural charm.

Started as a sales promotion to draw shoppers to Driver businesses, Driver Days has grown into a full fledged community festival and is led by a committee comprised of long time merchants and new residents.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Driver Volunteer Fire Department and the Bennett's Creek Rescue Squad. ILLUSTRATION: FALL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

[For a copy of the schedule, see microfilm for this date.]

DRIVER DAYS

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