As is so often the case, the weather seemed to tell the story of last weekend’s 35th annual Mayfest celebration.
Friday’s rainy weather and some fierce wind gusts caused a slow start for many venders. As the weekend wore on, prospects improved as rain clouds gave way to sunny skies and crowds began to make their way downtown. A quick Saturday evening storm seemed to have been taken in stride.
The particularly severe Friday wind storm caused concern for some vendors, with at least one reporting damages to merchandise.
“Friday had been going pretty good for us until about 5:30-6 o’clock,” recalled Wayne Gray of Discount Custom Framing in Trinity. Gray had 96 pieces of framed artwork on display, featuring artists such as Bob Timberlake and Douglas Cave. His booth was located on Main Street at its junction with Stephens Street.
“A little rain was falling and suddenly we were hit with the biggest gust of wind I’ve seen in my 37 years of doing this,” he said. “It came down the street behind us and it was so quick. The wind caught in the tarp over us and started lifting it up. I had a 295-pound man holding on to one leg of it but when it started lifting him, he let go and it lifted up and rolled across the street.”
Gray said that 30 pieces suffered damage, including broken glass and chipped or cracked frames. He noted that while the legs on the tent covering his display were bent, they were able to be straightened Friday evening to allow him to be ready for business on Saturday morning.
“I’m just thankful that no one was injured,” he said, “and I really appreciate the great response. Everyone was so cooperative and helpful, including the town workers. This could have been disastrous but it was a blessing that no one got hurt.”
Other vendors, including Pat Jensen of King, reported a slow Friday with a strong Saturday recovery. Her Mystic Wolf’s Den booth offered a selection of handmade soaps and all natural lip balms and salves.
“Today has been really great,” Johnson noted on Saturday afternoon. “This is my second year here and I like it a lot.”
Both Mark Mathis of Lil’ Sarah’s Bee Farm in Tobaccoville and local potter Sylvia Lawson of Waterfall Studios acknowledged strong weekend sales.
“We’ve seen some great people,” Mathis noted, “and we’ve done very well. And I we were able to find some Mother’s Day presents.”
Sponsored annually by the Pilot Mountain Civic Club, this year’s program featured a variety of crafts, food and musical choices. According to civic club representative Mark Dodson, vendors and entertainment enjoyed a positive weekend with some vendors reporting record sales.
“We had plenty of sunshine,” Dodson noted, “with great crowds coming out to enjoy the good music and the great experience.”
Lisa Moore of Winston-Salem regularly makes the trip to Pilot Mountain with a group of family members, enjoying a festive day before Mothers Day.
“We like it being this weekend,” she noted, “and everybody enjoys it. I like it for the food and it’s great for the children.”
Local residents Lynn and Junior Seivers, attending with their granddaughter, Celest, agreed.
“We look forward to coming every year,” Lynn explained. “We’re glad to see all the crafts coming into town and Celest enjoys the rides. We come and try to take part and contribute. This is good for Pilot Mountain and we love it.”
