Two days of near-perfect weather, with temperatures in the 70s and barely a hint of rain, favored the 50th anniversary of Mathews Market Days, held on Friday and Saturday on the Mathews Court Green and surrounding areas.
Festival Chair Jennifer Roahrig said the event was “absolutely a success,” with twice as many people attending this year as last year (around 7,500), a car show that had double the number of entries, and some vendors saying it was the best weekend they’d ever had.
“It was so packed at one point on Saturday that you literally couldn’t walk,” said Roahrig. “It’s amazing to see your hard work come full circle.”
The festival raised $4,200 from merchandise sales (600 items sold out of 700 available) and booth rental fees, she said, and the proceeds after all bills are paid will go to After Prom, the P. Buckley Moss Foundation, the Mathews Sheriff’s Office, the Mathews High School Marching Band, and LoveWorks, the organization raising funds to put a LOVE sign on the court green.
Two longtime Market Days volunteers were honored during opening ceremonies—Terry Dixon, who has 25 years of service, and Linda Hernandez, with over 30 years.
“We couldn’t do it without these guys,” said Roahrig.
Opening day on Friday had steady attendance during the day, said Roahrig, but “once the schools let out and kids showed up, it was amazing.” All of the activities in the children’s area were free to participants, from games with Captain Slackbeard and the Cutthroat Crew pirate reenactors to balloons, face-painting, pony-painting, an archaeological dig, and lots of crafts. Out of 400 birdhouses provided for children to complete, there were two left, she said, adding that 35 generous sponsors provided $7,540 to pay for the children’s activities, and “we spent it all, and then some.”
The first-ever youth block party and dance on Friday evening was well-attended, said Roahrig. The festival had purchased 600 glow sticks to hand out for the event, and had only around 50 left over. Morningstar Marinas gave out free cotton candy during the entire party, held from 5-8 p.m.
On the down side, Roahrig said the Mathews Lions Club, a perennial favorite food vendor, didn’t have the manpower to participate this year, and two registered food vendors canceled at the last minute due to illness, so there were no doggy treats or funnel cakes. In addition, not much interest was shown in the Crab Races, she said, so next year’s festival might see a different spin on the traditional favorite activity, perhaps with hermit crabs instead of blue crabs.
The entertainment throughout the festival “was amazing,” said Roarhig, from the Mathews High School Marching Band to The Detonators, the band that performed for Saturday’s street dance. She said all the volunteer help was greatly appreciated, including CERT volunteers who helped with road closures, the church-affiliated LIFT group, ROTC, the YMCA and the Mathews High School Blue Devils football team.
The traditional Saturday Night Street Dance was well-attended, as well, said Roahrig, with nearly 150 people there, and the first-ever sale of alcoholic beverages at the dance was a hit. The only trouble encountered was “a handful of teens who were just doing too much” and were asked to leave, she said.
Roahrig, who served as chair this year for the first time, said the festival has been “a full-time job” since April for her and co-chair Casey Pisarek.
It’s like planning the ultimate birthday party,” she said.
For information about Mathews Market Days, visit mathewsmarketdays.org.
