It was a colorful day in downtown Greenville last Saturday. From the gleaming paint and chrome of the classic cars on display to the multi-hued vendors’ tents lining the street and wide array of clothing, arts and crafts, blooming plants and products shared inside them, the third edition of the Camellia City Fest proved a feast for the eyes—and the ears and taste buds, too.    

Local talents Caleb Luckie, Max Conway and the Girl Next Door (aka Katye Giddens), along with the band KAOSS all performed in front of City Hall during the day. And the familiar voices of Kyle Haynes and David Norrell of Q-94 radio and emcees for the event, rang out through the loudspeakers at the annual Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce event.

Festival food favorites, including fried chicken on a stick, corn dogs, funnel cakes, fried Oreos, frozen slushes and barbecue were all on offer. Plenty of picnic tables and chairs were lined up across from the performance stage, allowing those in attendance a place to sit and enjoy their food, listen to the music, or just rest and watch the fun unfold.

Balloon lady Debbie Bloodworth, who was sponsored by Greenville Pediatrics, was a hit with her inflated creations. The younger set also enjoyed the Air Jumpz bouncy castle and getting their faces painted. The cute critters at the petting zoo—everything from a long-lashed alpaca wearing a floral crown, to miniature horses, ferrets, exotic birds, donkeys and more–attracted animal lovers of all ages.

State Farm Insurance agent Abbie Ballew shopped at April Lowery’s booth for children’s clothes. She had already had a busy and productive morning with a Relay For Life event.

“Our Cancer Hero walk-run went really, really well today. The weather was perfect,” Ballew said with a grin.

Chamber of Commerce director Francine Wasden was all smiles and in complete agreement with Ballew about the weather.

“A picture perfect day, that’s what it was,” Wasden enthused. “We had such a lot of fun. I do think our event is growing. And we had some repeat vendors, so we must be doing something right—or they wouldn’t come back.”

The shift to moving all booths and concessions closer to City Hall was “a really good move,” Wasden said. “It allowed all our vendors to feel as if they were close to the action. But I do believe in five or six years  we will have booths way down the street. Camellia City Fest really is a community event and we appreciate everyone here coming together for it. But it’s also a great way to promote our city and what it has to offer to folks from out of town as well.”