Festival in the Park

Today was a gorgeous day for the Festival in the Park. As my poor back can attest, the sun was shining bright. We headed to the festival at 11am and checked out the Auto Show. I was devastated to learn that a 1984 Ferrari was considered an antique. I am not sure what that makes me then. My youngest loves to look at cars. I was trying to teach my older son about compromise - if we look at cars for brother and daddy, then we can do something we enjoy too. We took a stroll through the park to see what was there. There wasn't anything scheduled for the Main Stage that early, so we wandered up Food Vendor Alley and checked out what was there. On a smaller stage, they had some performances going on. What a crowd - it was hard to see from the outskirts what was going on. We wandered through all the arts & crafts vendors. The boys picked out a few new animals (a dragon and a lizard - these are live critters by the way). My oldest had a blast going through the bouncy obstacle course - he did it twice. He also took a turn in the Fireman's Foam. We caught a few acts and I couldn't believe that it was 2:30 when the boys were starting to get worn out. My youngest told me he was going to do those crazy BMX tricks on his bike. I hope my children never lose that drive.

I doubt we will be able to catch any of the evening performances, but tonight, tomorrow night and Monday night have some great performances planned. I will definitely put volunteering for this festival on my list of things to do next year. Depending on how the rest of the weekend goes, we may take the kids back out to the festival tomorrow or Monday.

Green Ridge Rec Center - Splash Valley

Yesterday, the Splash Valley outdoor water park opened up. It was a free day - from 4pm to 7pm. I have to say, the water felt like it was FREEZING (at about 79 degrees) but it was gorgeous outside. We learned that for the huge water slide outside, you don't need to take a swim test, which I had heard someone say last year that was a requirement. All you need is to be 48 inches tall. Poor little A is not tall enough...he has about 10 inches to grow. He could use this smaller slide, that you have to be 36 inches to be eligible. He can even wear his life vest on it. T is still a little to short for that one, but he can use the little kids area, which has some smaller slides on it. I was lucky enough to be able to retain the Splash Valley Membership, which is no longer offered. This means we can go to Splash Valley as often as we want this year. I am very excited for this - I think we will probably use it a lot more than the 8-10 times we used it last year. There is a cost if you are not a founding member:

Non-Resident Rate
Adult (18-54) $9.00 ($7 after 4pm)

Child/Teen (1-17) $8.00 ($7 after 4pm)

Ages 55 and up $7.00 ($7 after 4pm)

Roanoke County Resident Rate
Adult (18-54) $7.00 ($5 after 4pm)

Child/Teen (1-17) $6.00 ($5 after 4pm)

Ages 55 and up $5.00 ($5 after 4pm)

There are going to be a few Summer Special Events at the Splash Valley this year. I am hoping that we will attend some of them. This is one of those things to do in which the price can vary. However, it's something that both adults and children can enjoy.

At the beginning of the season and at the end of the season, there are some days the park is running at a Reduced Schedule (hours are 4pm to 7pm). The dates for this are May 31 through June 3, June 6 through June 8, August 22 through August 26, and August 29 through September 2. Keep in mind, these periods are during the week (i.e. times that school might be in session).

The Regular Schedule begins today May 27 and runs through September 5. These hours are 12pm to 7pm. For those lucky enough to only have to work a half day today, this could be good for you. County Residents can enter the park at 11am.

For more information, you can visit the website: www.RoanokeCountyParks.com.

I know that we will be hanging out here a lot more this year. It's good family fun time for us. The only problem I have is that my kids can talk and boy do they think the Concession Stand food is better than anything else.

UpComing Fun

Just a glimpse at the schedule for the Festival in the Park this weekend:

Evening Concerts on the Amphitheater Stage Concert Ticket Required Beginning at 5:00 PM
Friday, May 27
6:30pm	Rutledge	Country
7:30pm	Steel Magnolia	Country
8:30pm	Emerson Drive	Country
Saturday, May 28
6:30pm	PolyChrome	Rock
7:30pm	Jordan Harmon Band	Rock
8:30pm	John Popper and the Duskray Troubadores	Rock
Sunday, May 29
6:30pm	The Sessions Band	Rock
7:30pm	1964: The Tribute	Rock
8:30pm	The Family Stone	Rock
Monday, May 30
6:30pm	Corey Hunley and Jeff Maiden
7:00pm	JaneDear Gilrls	Country
7:30pm	Brett Eldredge	Country
8:30pm	Eli Young Band	Country

(Schedule and times are subject to change)

Saturday, May 28
Amphitheater Stage	Group	Type of Entertainment
1:00	Southwestern Virginia Ballet	Dance
2:00	Micky and Taylor Nelson	Adult Contemporary
3:00	Cory Campbell and 4th Street Soul
4:00	Government Plant
5:00	Madrone
Festival Stage
12:00
1:00	Smoke N' Mirrors	Rock
2:00	The Dirt Road Travelers
3:00	Watershed Conspiracy
4:00	SideShow
5:00	Groovascape
Gazebo Stage
11:30am	ProTown BMX Bike Show- Jefferson St.
12:00	Mel Parker
1:00	Betsy Biesenbach and Marybeth Tochaconas	Folk
2:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show- Jefferson St.
3:00	AwesomeSauce
4:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show- Jefferson St.
5:00	Johnnie Barnett
Kaleidoscope Stage
11:00
12:00	Anna Jack	Family
1:00	Branan Thompson Magic Show	Family
2:00	Mill Mountain Zoo	Family
3:00	Anna Jack	Family
4:00	Kountry Kickers Cloggers	Family

(Schedule and times are subject to change)

Sunday, May 29
Amphitheater Stage	Group	Type of Entertainment
12:00	Tri-County Cloggers	Dance
1:00	Miss Mona's School of Dance	Family
2:00	The Ronald McDonald Show
2:45-3:00	Youth Art Show Awards	Announcements
3:00	Bebop Hoedown
4:30	Porch Party Mamas	Americana
5:30	Shaolin Dragons Kung-Fu	Martial Arts
Festival Stage
12:00	Human Infection
1:00	Phantom Zone
2:00	Savannah Shoulders	Classic Rock
3:00	My Friend Thomas
4:00	Save the Flame
5:00	Mohammad Bhana- formerly Electric Chameleon
Gazebo Stage
1:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show - Jefferson St.
2:00	Sharayah Spears	Folk/Indie
3:00	Andy Crawford
4:00	ProTown BMX Bike Show - Jefferson St.
5:00	AwesomeSauce
Kaleidoscope Stage
11:00	Dan the Piano Juggler	Family
12:00	Anna Jack	Family
1:00	Dan the Piano Juggler	Family
2:00
3:00	Dan the Piano Juggler	Family
4:00	Anna Jack	Family

Monday, May 30
Amphitheater Stage	Group	Type of Entertainment
1:00	Twelve O'Clock Knob
2:00	TouchPoint
3:00	The Materia Project
3:45-4:00	Festival Scholarship Awards and other announcements
4:00	Jamiel Allen and the J-Team
5:00	Young and the Rest of Us
Festival Stage
12:00	Poverty Level
1:00	Gabriel Morales
2:00	Manic Farm	Southern Rock
3:00	Back Again
4:00	Big Blind
5:00	Ballistic	Alternative Rock
Gazebo Stage
12:00
1:00	Mel Parker	Oldies
2:00	Trilogy
3:00	Johnnie Barnett
4:00	Jessilynn Kidd
5:00	Ross Flora
Kaleidoscope Stage
12:00	Antique Rockers
1:00	Roanoke Children's Theatre	Family
2:00	William Penn- Patrick Henry High School	Family
3:00	Micky and Taylor Nelson
4:00	Shaolin Dragons Kung-Fu	Martial Arts