Mayfest A Hit For High-Flying Kids

By Corey Preston, CoreyPreston@miconews.com

Hunter Boone strikes a pose while soaring through the air on a gigantic inflatable slide at Mayfest, which was held Saturday in La Cygne. The inflatable toys were a huge hit among young people at the festival, which drew steady crowds throughout the day but did not quite meet the fund-raising goals of organizers. (Photo by Corey Preston)

The inaugural La Cygne Mayfest Saturday didn’t quite meet its fiscal goal of raising funds for a new city pool, and chilly winds may have stifled crowds for the festival’s daylong slate of live music. But there was no denying that, as a fun and wholesome way for kids to stretch their legs as spring took hold, the festival was a success.

“I’m about to get the best air of the day,” shouted Troy Isenhower from atop a giant inflatable slide that had children scrambling back and forth to their parents for additional dollar bills to ride.

Jesse Henry countered that his sidewinding leap down the slide should win points for style, while Luke Weitman staked his own claim to most hang time.

“Did you see my last one?” Weitman said. “That’s gotta be the best air.”

The inflatable toys and other children’s activities were the most popular events of the day, said organizer Jodi Wade, who called the festival, which included vendors, a barbecue cook-off and performances by bands, a “decent” first attempt.

“For a first-time run, it really went OK. I was happy that it was an ongoing day, there were people there throughout, although a few times we had a little more of a crowd,” Wade said.

The festival broke even in terms of fund-raising, which was disappointing for organizers who were attempting to raise funds for a new city pool.

Still, Wade said the festival offered opportunities to “get the word out” on the proposed $2.5 million pool project.

“We had the pool concept up on display, and we got some very positive feedback on the design,” she said. “They asked a lot of great questions about the cost and our approach to paying for it. I’m hoping that next time this comes up at a city meeting there’s going to be some more interest.”

Winds and slightly chilly weather limited attendance at the stage, where a number of local and regional musical acts performed, but Wade said she hoped the appeal of live music would attract more interest next year, should her committee opt to put on the festival again.

“We just have to see if people had an interest in it, and then we’ll make a decision (whether to continue Mayfest next year),” she said.

Wade said she was grateful to all the volunteers who helped with the festival.

“That was the most encouraging thing to me, how all of the people that helped out did such a great job keeping everything moving along throughout the day.”