Newberry festival brings fall spirit

 For those looking for an excuse to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend, Newberry is the place to go for festive fall fun.

The Fourth Annual Fall Market Festival is planned to take place in downtown Newberry on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will spotlight more than 50 vendors from all over the state, said Main Street Manager Barbara Hendrix, one of the event’s coordinators.

 As visitors stroll down Seaboard Drive, they will be able to check out arts and crafts displays, shop the local produce at the farmers market, listen to live music from the band Late Night Delivery and even try their hand at interactive archery demonstrations. When hunger sets in, they will be enticed by the aromas coming from a veritable potpourri of food vendors, including several that will be competing in a barbeque cook-off.

Hendrix said the Main Street Organization tried to include something for every age group when coordinating the event. The kids will have a number of different activities to explore such as pony rides, face painting, bounce houses and a basketball toss. For the adults, a health fair will offer expert advice on healthy living, blood pressure and blood sugar checks and “brown bag checks” for those who wish to bring in their prescription medications to have them evaluated.

Last year’s festival attracted 4,000 people and Hendrix expects to see even more come out this year due to a heightened interest in Newberry’s expanding community.

“Newberry is growing in so many different ways and people want to come and see what’s going on,” she said.