Town's Festifall Welcomes Autumn

The annual town-sponsored festival, which lasted from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., featured four stages that showcased 20 musical acts and more than 100 booths with food, arts and crafts.

Graduate, undergraduate and high school students attended the event, but their numbers paled in comparison to the number of Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents in attendance.

Moms and dads with children on their shoulders shuffled with elderly couples and younger people of all ages.

Booths on display at the festival promoted local political campaigns and sold various forms of pottery, glass and hand-drawn art.

From corn dogs and ice cream to hot fish and Oriental chicken, residents munched on nearly any type of meal or snack.

The musical acts represented the genres of gospel, folk, rock and everything in between.

Garry Childs, 45, of Rougemont sold his terra cotta pottery from a booth at the festival and said Festifall provided him an opportunity to display his work.

"I have done the event several times," he said.

"Chapel Hill's just terrific -- the people are very supportive of the arts."

But Marianna Heim, 60, of Holly Springs has attended Festifall for the last five years and said the festival's quality is declining.

"It used to be a good show," Heim said. "There's just not enough good crafters here. Most of the stuff here is not handmade."

Ted Avery, 41, of Carrboro came to the event with his wife and children.

Avery's daughter Kathryn, 6, smiled and patted the colorful rainbow on her right cheek, saying her favorite part of the event was that she got her face painted.

Marc Labranche, 42, an 8-year resident of Chapel Hill, said the festival gave families a way to spend time together.

"We've been to a few of these," he said. "It's just fun seeing everything, being out with everyone. It's great because the kids have fun."

Two UNC freshman both agreed the festival was a chance to escape the normal Sunday routine.

"I was skittish at first, but now I am enjoying it," said freshman Sam Kennedy, 18, of 319 Stacy Residence Hall. "All in all I think it's a successful event."

Kennedy said his favorite part was hearing musician Larry Weaver perform a comical song entitled "O.G. Grandpa." "That guy was kind of funny," he said.

Freshman Carey Fetting-Smith, 18, of 324 Avery Residence Hall, who brought Kennedy to the festival, said she especially enjoyed being around the children.

"I never get to see kids on campus," she said.

Fetting-Smith, an out-of-state student, said she also enjoyed the festival.

"It's nice to see the locals of Chapel Hill," she said. "It is exciting for me."

The City Editor can be reached

at citydesk@unc.edu.