Festival on Main Street
By ANDREA JOHNSON, Staff Writer, ajohnson@minotdailynews.comArticle Photos
"Mommy, I fed it!" squealed a little girl, proud that she had just fed a handful of hay to a miniature horse.
Her mother cautioned her not to get her fingers nipped, but the little girl had no fear of that. She was too enthralled by the chance to pet bunny rabbits and to watch a pig wallow in the mud Saturday.
The Rocky Top Ranch Petting Zoo, owned by Dennis and Karla Erickson of Ruso, was the highlight of the annual Festival on Main Street for many of the children and their parents, who were armed with cameras.
There were any number of other fun activities for kids. At one booth, children sat patiently as their faces were painted. One boy sported a Spider-Man mask. Others carried around balloons.
There were prizes to be had too, for kids who participated in a scavenger hunt. Kids had a list of questions to answer and had to visit a new business to come up with the answer, such as "Which adornment is for the pigs?"
The answer? "Toe ring." Betty Fedorchak, owner of Esoterica, gave out some extra toe rings as prizes.
There was singing, dancing and drumming performed all day long, from Filipino dancers to young drummers from a drum group at Sunnyside Elementary and the Minot High School Drumline.
Martial arts were on display by Howard Lemere and Antonio Valdez, who showed off such things as boxing and kick boxing. The men hail from the Richard Calavere Martial Arts Academy in downtown Minot. A group of young men had crowded around in a circle to watch as Valdez demonstrated a kick.
Marvin Baker of Carpio was selling his organic vegetables at a farmer's market. He said the turnout was great.
So did Fedorchak, one of many business owners who noted new people coming into her store who hadn't been there before.
"We work so hard to keep things going downtown," said Fedorchak, so when there is a successful event like the Festival on Main, it's even more fulfilling.
Fedorchak said there were about 50 booths at the festival, which is sponsored by the Downtown Business and Professional Association.
"And this is the biggest crowd we have ever had," she said.
Fedorchak said there were crowds of people showing up for the event from the start of the festival right through mid-afternoon. The weather was beautiful, with no rain clouds like those that had occurred earlier in the week.
Other events included a 5K Fun Run & Pet Walk, the Dakota Cruisers Car Show, NOSA sprint cars and new cars from Fisher Motors Inc., a historic walking tour, bingo, drumline and dance performances by local groups, baking contests, free knife sharpening, a sushi relay, live pottery demonstrations, children's art activities, an inflatable bounce house, food and craft vendors and a carnival game.
"I love this," said Fedorchak, who said the event drew some people who hadn't been downtown in two or three years. Several people commented that they didn't know a certain store was downtown. Fedorchak anticipates that more people will come back even after the festival is over.
