Even though temperatures soared and the humidity was high, crowds still came out to the 40th annual Mathews Market Days, which was held Friday and Saturday in and around the historic courthouse.

At least 10,000 people were estimated to have attended the festival, according to Market Days spokesperson Trudy Flippin.

“It seemed like I saw new faces throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday,” Flippin said.

She recounted some of the conversation she heard behind her while in line to purchase a sandwich from one of the vendors. “One lady said, ‘It’s hot, I can’t believe how many people are here.’ The other lady said, ‘People come to see each other … that’s what Market Days is all about.’” Flippin said she could relate to that story because she and her lifelong friend have lunch on every Saturday of Market Days.

Flippin said raffle purchases went well, and that some people purchased raffle tickets just because ...