Fest in the West This Saturday

Cary, NC – Western Cary’s signature festival, Fest in the West, will take place this coming Saturday, May 5, 2018 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Thomas Brooks Park.

A Brief History

The free event is created and produced by CaryCitizen in partnership with the Town of Cary for the second year in a row at this location. Lindsey Chester of CaryCitizen conceived of the event during her tenure as a member of the Town of Cary’s Cultural Arts Committee. That committee supports cultural activities throughout Cary.

Seeing a lack of easily accessible events for the fast-growing area west of NC-55, Lindsey contacted town staff to help support the idea of a festival located in that area. In 2016, the first Fest in the West was held at Parkside Town Commons, a shopping center located on NC-55.

The following year, the company formed a partnership with the Town to move the event to a more central, western Cary location at USA Baseball. 3,000 attendees showed up to enjoy music, food trucks, local art vendors and the free Kid Zone along with two fun contests.

What is Planned for This Weekend

The fun gets underway at 11 AM and continues ’til 5 PM on the beautiful front lawn beside the main stadium at the park. Three bands (including the Martin County Ramblers, The Blenders and Peak City Band) will take the Mainstage, sponsored by WakeMed, Parkside Eye Care and Triangle Family Dental. During musical breaks attendees can watch or participate in two contests that are unique to the festival: The Orangetheory Hillbilly Horseshoes Toss and the Whole Foods Blueberry Pie Eating Contest. You won’t want to miss this fun, as past contestants often show up to defend their titles!

Visit the Village of Arts and Crafts, filled with 37 local artisans displaying and demonstrating their crafts. The Carolina Orthodontics Kid Zone includes a facepainter, a bounce house and several booths that will be offering free activities throughout the day. Full vendor list here.

The Aster Apartments Beer Garden will include four local brewers: Bond Brothers, Southern Peak, Fortnight and Jordan Lake. The first 600 attendees receive a festival souvenir cup to use in the garden and more cups are available at the individual beer vendor booths.

Check out the Food Truck Rodeo area featuring 12 food vendors from all over the Triangle including Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Fresh Ice Cream, Oak City Fish & Chips, Will & Pops and more. Full list here.

Learn about area non-profit groups in the Non-Profit Circle. Maybe there’s an organization that could use your cultural expertise, or a group with which you would like to volunteer to help the community.

New this year is Shaky Tail Farm‘s Petting Zoo. Children will love petting a llama and miniature pony and see the chickens and bunnies. The farm is a big hit wherever they go.

Don’t miss the opportunity to take home a photo strip souvenir of your day at the Children’s Lighthouse-sponsored Farmer’s Photobooth. Sparkz Studio will be snapping photos of patrons who stand in our farmer family backdrop.

Stay for the day or visit for an hour. There is something for everyone to enjoy at Fest in the West!

Event Info:

Fest in the West
Saturday, May 5, 2018
11 AM to 5 PM
USA Baseball National Training Complex, at Thomas Brooks Park
7445 Green Hope School Road, Cary 27519

Admission and parking are free.

A full listing of activities, artist, and food trucks here: www.festinthewest.com

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Story by Lindsey Chester. Photos by Karen Healy. Arts coverage sponsored in part by Elegant Stitches in Cary.