Dancers from the McLean Community Center perform on the main stage during McLean Day Saturday, May 18. Photo by Alex McVeigh.
McLean — Temperatures in the low 60s and rain throughout the day might have kept some people from the annual McLean Day Festival Saturday, May 18, but for the hundreds who look forward to the event, they didn’t even bat an eye.
"It could have been hailing outside and I’m pretty sure my kids would have dragged me out here," said Henry DeMartin of McLean, who came with his two sons. "We usually make it to two or three festivals and carnivals throughout the spring and summer, but this is the biggest one for them, because it’s closest to our house and it’s the first one, so no way were we going to miss it."
The midway area, filled with rides such as the Tilt-A-Whirl, Zipper, bumper cars and more, as well as standard carnival games, stayed pretty busy throughout the day, even though some said the lines were a little shorter than usual.
"I like to ride each ride a few times in a row, until I get sick of it, so this worked out pretty well for me," said Stacy Michaels, 14, of McLean. "But I think I got sick of everything faster since I didn’t have to wait as long, because some of the rides I only went on once or twice."
The large baseball field at Lewinsville Park was turned into a more informal recreation area, with two volleyball courts, soccer, archery and laser tag set up on the grass.
"The volleyball and soccer were a fun way to keep busy during the day, because I get pretty bored of the rides and food after a while," said Jen Burrows, 13. "My brother and sister are much younger, so they like the moon bounces and the slides, and can go between those for hours and I’m usually ready to leave. But we got a good game going, so it was fun for everyone."
The main stage, located past the main fields, was abuzz all day, from a performance by the McLean High School Jazz Band, to the recognition of this year’s McLean Citizens Association Teen Character Award winners, to a variety of dancers from the McLean Community Center.
Many people, such as Frank Benson of McLean, said they enjoyed the differences that came with this year’s weather.
"I actually enjoyed the cooler weather, and it wasn’t as dusty, because my allergies always let me know as soon as I arrive that there’s going to be a lot of sneezing and a scratchy throat," Benson said. "Plus we weren’t carrying dozens of water bottles and battling lines at the ice cream places, anything just to cool down. Last year was really hot, and I would take a day like this over the heat anytime."