2010 marks the third year Celebrate Fuquay-Varina has been in downtown, and if last year is any indicator, it’s going to be a very successful year. In 2009, more than 10,000 people attended the festival that moved from Falcon Park in 2008 and was formerly known as the Celebration of the Outdoors. The highly successful festival is a combination of live entertainment, children and youth activities, classic cars, fabulous food and an arts and crafts show. In short, the Celebrate Fuquay-Varina festival is free, family fun in true Fuquay-Varina style!

This year, the festival will be held on June 4th and 5th. A Friday night concert is being introduced to what has typically been a one-day event. Jim Quick & Coastline will headline the June 4th Friday night concert on Raleigh Street beginning at 8:00 pm. (See related article in today’s paper.) Saturday festivities in downtown Fuquay and Varina will be held from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

What a lot of people don’t know is that the festival is also a civics lesson in how key partners in our town work together to make the day come together. The Town of Fuquay-Varina is the main festival organizer. The Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce puts together Run the Quay 5k and Fuquay-Varina Downtown handles the Celebration of the Arts, which hosts 85 artists in the middle of the festival. Every town employee will be on hand June 5th to help in some way and of course, there are hundreds of volunteers from all over our community that will give their time to make the day a success. Financial sponsors make it possible for us all to go to the event free. The festival’s financial sponsors are: Bob Barker Company, Century 21 Becky Medlin Realty, Fidelity Bank, Four Oaks Bank, Fuquay-Varina Independent, Kimley-Horn & Associates, Narron Contracting, Progress Energy, Senter, Stephenson & Johnson, The Young Group of Fuquay, and Withers & Ravenel. Coming together as a community is the way we make Celebrate Fuquay-Varina a success.

There will be tons of ways to celebrate on Saturday, June 5th so make sure to plan your day. A festival brochure, which includes parking and shuttle maps, is available at www.CelebrateFV.com. The best way to get to the festival is to park your car at either the Fuquay-Varina Community Center or Fuquay-Varina High School and take a free shuttle to the festival.

Here’s a brief run down of what you might expect on June 5th. Get your day started with Run the Quay at 8:30 am at the Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church. This is a USATF certified course and prizes will be awarded. For more information, go to www.fuquay-varina.com. If you’re not a runner, but you’d like to get some exercise, head over to the Entertainment Tent on Main Street at 10:00 am and join Mayor John Byrne for his annual Mayor’s Walk, a comfortable stroll through the festival grounds to the Mineral Spring Park and Centennial Museum. The first 50 participants get a free t-shirt.

On Main Street in Fuquay, visit the Four Oaks Entertainment Tent. Magician Michael Creech, Comedian David Ferrell, and Fuquay-Varina’s home town band Strictly Dixie will perform throughout the day. New this year, play Bingo for a host of prizes. The wildly popular King BMX Stunt Show, sponsored by Kimley-Horn, is back and performing three shows on Main Street. Festival planners expect the new 4-sided Rock Wall, located next to the King BMX Stunt Show, to be a main attraction this year. If you like climbing, heights and exhilaration, this may just be the thing for you!

Art lovers can stroll through more than 85 arts and craft vendors on Main Street and classic car enthusiasts will enjoy the Fuquay Cruiser’s display of pre-1975 cars on Vance Street. Make sure to visit the Fuquay Mineral Spring Park from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm for a free souvenir bottle of water or make your way over to the History Museum on Fuquay Avenue to learn more about the town’s past. Whatever festival fare you’re seeking, you’ll find it on both the Fuquay and Varina side. Food vendors will be open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

For the kid in all of us, visit the Fidelity Bank Kids Zone which features all new carnival rides this year. There’s also an Inflatable Kids Zone with plenty of inflatables to keep the kids busy and Mimi the Clown will be doing some pretty snazzy face painting.

On the Varina side, catch great local entertainment from 10:30 am – 4:00 pm at the Bob Barker Main Stage. This is your chance to see local dance and choral groups, as well as martial arts demonstrations. From 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Bob & The Showgram make an appearance in downtown Varina. Visit with Bob, Mike, Kristin and Jon, and check out the Showgram Monster Truck. Kids can enjoy the inflatables all day in Varina.

Because the festival covers several city blocks on both sides of downtown, driving in the area will be difficult. On Saturday, June 5th, Main Street will be closed to motor traffic from Academy Street to Spring Street and side streets adjacent to this area will also be closed. In Varina, Durham Street and parts of Fayetteville Street will be closed to motor traffic. Finally, Town of Fuquay-Varina ordinance prohibits animals in the event area, so please leave your animals comfortably at home.

For complete information on festival attractions, entertainment line-ups, parking and shuttle information or to download a brochure, go to www.CelebrateFV.com.