City Lights Downtown Festival is Saturday

The road race will be over in less than an hour, at which time the food and craft booths will be open in Spencer Park. The hot rod and antique car cruise-in starts at 10:00. Music begins at 11 and lasts until dusk, and the event will close with a downtown fireworks display at about 9:30.

Sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority, the festival is designed to offer a day of fun and relaxation centered around the recently redeveloped Spencer Park.

“We do ask those members of the public who will be doing early morning errands to bear with us as there might be detours and delayed traffic along the race course,” says Hasco Craver, executive director of the DDA.

The 5K race will start and end at Willoughby Park, and much of the route will be along Broad and Elm streets, taking advantage of the level path of the Norfolk-Southern railroad tracks.

“All the runners will be off the road within 30 to 40 minutes,” Craver said. “We always have some walkers, and we suggest to them that they utilize the sidewalks.”

People going to the post office should take note that the only access will be from the west side of Pine Street as Little Street and the upper (Elm Street) ends of Pine and Oak streets will be closed all day.

Runners who have not registered should be at Willoughby Park by 7 a.m. The late entry fee is $20.

As the runners gather in Willoughby Park, the farmers’ market will be under way and set-up will begin for the more than 30 booths in and around Spencer Park. The booths will be open at 8:00.

A “kids zone” will be established in the city parking lot across Pine Street from the Post Office. It will include an inflatable slide, a moon walk and an inflatable obstacle course, plus a petting zoo and pony rides.

The Commerce and Jefferson Lions Clubs will host the hot rod and antique car cruise-in, which will occupy the parking spots along Broad and Elm streets down to Central Avenue.

Music starts at 11:00 in the park, as the Solstice Sisters open the festival for the third year in a row.

“We’ve got a pretty all-encompassing music lineup,” Craver said. “Morning, afternoon or evening, you’re going to hear professional sounds coming from the stage. We have a great sampling of musical styles.”

Following the Solstice Sisters are the Temple Johnson Band and Wesley Cook.

“The show turns electric around 2:45 when the Eli Carlan band comes on,” said Craver. Next up are Betsy Franck & the Barknuckle Band, the East Ponce Soul Faction and the Breeze Kings, declared the “best blues band in Atlanta” by Creative Loafing magazine.

“If you’re a fan of the blues, you will want to come out because you won’t get to see a band of this caliber in your hometown for a while,” Craver advised. “But all of the bands are good.”

The annual pre-Independence Day fireworks display at dark (around 9:30) will end the event. The display will be launched from the J. Nolan Spear Jr. Public Safety Complex and will be easily visible in and around the downtown.