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Tumbleweed turns it up
Published 8/30/2010 in Local News
By DEREK THOMPSON
Nearly 7,000 children and parents roamed the west lawn of Lee Richardson Zoo Saturday and Sunday, taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of the annual Tumbleweed Festival.
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MIDDLE: Nicole Ruda, 6, left, and Alizabeth Salinas, 7, share containers of paint as thet create caterpillars out of egg cartons Saturday at the arts and crafts tent.
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Photos by Brad Nading/Telegram TOP: Piper Leigh and The SmokinÕ Section perform Saturday during the Tumbleweed Festival on Lee Richardson ZooÕs west lawn.
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BOTTOM: Children and adults look on as Richard Holmgren juggles machetes Saturday during a performance on the childrenÕs stage at the Tumbleweed Festival.
"It's just something to do with the family, relaxing and just hanging out," John Huber, Garden City, said. "I like the entertainment, and my kids really enjoy the crafts, too."
With a dinosaur skeleton walking the park, musicians playing on multiple stages and entertainers performing for crowds, the event offered something for young and old. Children explored the festival, faces painted as dogs, spiders and even Spider-Man.
Roadways that normally serve as the zoo's drive-through route were lined with vendors selling a range of food and drinks, including roasted sweet corn, turkey legs, curly fries, deep-fried Twinkies and bottled root beer, complete with a cork.
Garden City High School students Matt Schneider and Libby Sanders attended the event just for the food. Schneider ate a turkey leg, while Sanders tried a deep-fried Twinkie.
"It's not what I expected. There was no filling," Sanders said.
Melvin Priest traveled from Kinsley to see the music, and wanted to see Del Castillo, a band that blends rock, Latin and blues. He said the festival has been "real good" and "better than last year."
Among this year's performers were Hot Club of Cowtown, BarlowGirl, Bryan Bowers, Brennen Leigh, the Terry Quiett Band, and Piper Leigh and The Smokin' Section, among others.
Folding chairs dotted the lawn at the south stage, where Saundra McGraw was sitting. She came to the festival to hear the music and enjoy the food. She said that Hot Club of Cowtown and Brennen Leigh were her favorite bands at this year's festival, and that the entertainment had been better than in the past.
"I think they've got higher quality this year," McGraw said.
The festival is in its 19th year, and Don Harness, Garden City, has attended the festival nearly every year.
"I just like the variety of music and seeing a real broad spectrum of people enjoying it," Harness said. "I think there seems to be a bigger crowd this year."
Kathy Friesen, secretary for the festival, said the community response to the event was strong.
"I think it was our best year yet," Friesen said.
Friesen said that having a consistent lineup of bands helps draw people to the concert, and that many come to hear or see the same entertainer each year. She stressed that the community's support and the local sponsors helped make the event a success.
Lisa Axman, treasurer of the festival, said that about 5,000 people attended the festival Saturday, and about 1,800 turned out on Sunday, which was overall about a 1,500-person increase from last year's festival.
Axman attributed the increased numbers to three main factors: More advertising was done for the event, the addition of Christian rock band BarlowGirl and sponsors paying for the entry of elementary school children in Garden City and Holcomb.
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