Sigh of relief, Days of joy

Published 9:28 am Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Tropical Storm Michael brought a dark night Thursday, but the annual Autumn Days festival brought the dawn for Victoria and Lunenburg County on Saturday.

Victoria Town Manager Rodney Newton estimated that between 500 and 750 people attended the festival throughout the day.

“I feel that this year’s event was a huge success,” he said. “The planning team for the event did an excellent job to provide the community with the event.”

Newton noted that the festival presents several benefits to the community, some which come on an annual basis and some which were unique to this year. “It offers a chance for local vendors to share their wares, brings visitors to the Town of Victoria to support local businesses, and it provides an opportunity for people to have time to see friends they may not see on a regular basis,” he said. “This year’s event was blessed with a beautiful day following the severe weather Thursday and allowed citizens and visitors to breathe a sigh of relief and have a day of enjoyment.”

He added that several highlights of the festival included “the barbecue cook-off, various food vendors, live music and crafts and wares. I don’t know that there was a specific highlight that stood out. The planning committee tried to plan events and activities so that everyone could find something of interest.”

At the barbecue cook-off, Ronnie Williams, of Victoria, won the People’s Choice award for Boston Butt. The Best Brisket and Ribs honor went to the team headed by Jay Dayton, of Victoria, while Curtis Hurt, of Crewe, earned the Best Chicken award.

The Pet Parade winner this year was Lacey Loebs.