Despite less than agreeable weather in the morning Wakefest was held on Saturday, August 15th at its new location in Graves Park. In the afternoon and evening the rain gave way to sun just in time for the barbeque that according to the Celebration Committee had approximately 450 attendees.
“Of course, the weather added another layer of excitement to the day!” said Megan Weaver, one of the event organizers and barbaquers. “With the forecast changing throughout the week, there were a lot of "what ifs" leading up to Saturday and even during the event itself. We really appreciated everyone's patience and flexibility as the committee worked through those decisions. In the end, we were fortunate to be able to hold everything as close to planned, and people seemed willing to come out and enjoy the day regardless of a little rain.”
The new location or Wakefest, taking place throughout Graves Park, with the evenings music and food being based behind Eaton Field’s press box, seemed to be a hit with attendees.
“The committee was very pleased with the turnout on Saturday!” said Weaver. “The immediate feedback from attendees has been very positive, along with some constructive suggestions that we can use for future planning. There are always things we can improve, especially when trying a new location and making several changes in the same year, but overall, the committee was very pleased with how the day came together.”
Though some concerns were raised about the move to the park having an impact on downtown businesses, where Wakefest had been held for many years. In order to help address potential concerns, as well as gauge how well the event was enjoyed, the Community Club has set up a survey on their Facebook page and their website www.wakefieldcommunityclub.com. “We really encourage everyone who attended—or who has thoughts about the event—to complete it” said Weaver. “We want to hear what worked, what didn't, and what we can improve moving forward, especially regarding the new location and changes to the meal.”
The barbeque portion of the event went about as well as it could with a perfect August evening and the response to it has been very positive, including changes to the menu and moving away from it being a competition of wing cookers. “I think people enjoyed having a little more variety and side dishes to complement the wings” said Weaver. “We were also able to serve food for a longer period of time, and even those who came later in the evening still had several options available.”
“We all had fun watching the group of young men accomplish the challenge of eating 100 wings! We were also able to serve food for a longer period of time, and even those who came later in the evening still had several options available. Again, it will be interesting to see what people say about the new meal format in the survey.
The wings were particularly well received by a group of Wakefield kids, who managed to go through 100 wings. “We all had fun watching the group of young men accomplish the challenge of eating 100 wings!” said Weaver.
The event is a real team effort, with an army of volunteers helping event run smoothly, and both Megan and the committee are grateful for the effort that made this year’s event what it was. “More than anything, I came away from Saturday incredibly appreciative of how many people it takes to make an event like WakeFest happen. From the volunteers who were there early in the morning for breakfast and stayed through the fireworks, to the organizations and groups that organized individual activities, everyone stepped up and took ownership of their part of the day. Our vendors, sponsors, cookers, bands, bars, event participants and volunteers all played a role in making the event successful.”
“We also can't say enough about the people who simply showed up and supported the event. Whether they ran the Color Run, entered the car show or tournaments, shopped the vendor fair, brought their kids to the activities, ate BBQ, listened to the bands, or stayed for the fireworks, their participation is what makes putting in all of the work worthwhile.”
“I know it sounds cheesy but events like this and seeing the community come together is what small towns are made of said Weaver. “We definitely work our tails off but it's worth it!”