McLean Day is the only festival the Central Intelligence Agency sends representatives to, according to Sam Roberts. Photo by Reena Singh.
It’s the place to be.
At least, that’s according to a phrase the McLean Community Center’s Director of Special Events coined for McLean Day: Celebrating Our Homeetown, which takes over Lewinsville Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
This year will mark the 99th annual McLean Day, a free event. Roberts will retire before the centennial event, so this year’s McLean Day is a special one.
“When I was hired in 1989, my executive director told me, ‘Your mission is to provide a sense of community,’” said MCC Director of Special Events Sam Roberts III.
His biggest accomplishment was turning the event from one that about 4,000 attended in 1989 to one that nearly 18,000 come to every year. The festival - which began as a fundraiser for a local elementary school, now covers every inch of Lewinsville Park.
“I think people like it, because there are a lot of things the festival offers,” he said. “It’s kind of a down-homey event. It’s a place to see your neighbors and find out about local businesses.”
The event only had a few games and bounce houses when he started. Because of the number of rides, food vendors and sponsorships McLean Day gets now, it does not use as many tax dollars as it has previously.
“Now it’s gotten to the point where we don’t have to promote it much,” he said. “We’ve accomplished what we were trying to do.”
He does not just mean he does not have to promote it to attendees. He also does not have to promote it to vendors. Every year, he tells his vendors that the spaces in Lewinsville Park fill up by the cutoff date in early February, he said. And every year, there are vendors that unsuccessfully ask after the cutoff date to have some space to promote their business at the event. Local businesses are put on a wait list. Vendors who are not local are told to wait until next year.
One business has served the festival as long as he has.
Amusements by J&J in Sterling was headed by Jimmy Heath 25 years ago when Roberts took the helm of McLean Day. Now his son, Danny, is the new owner of the business.
Danny said he has pictures of himself as a young boy in the 1970s on a ride at McLean Day.
“I’ve done it for 25 years with my folks,” he said. “I’ll have both my daughters working in the Kids Zone. It’s just about celebrating your hometown and seeing old and new friends.”
He remembers the festival when it was a much smaller event.
“They made it into an event that impacts so many different people,” said Danny. “It’s got it’s own unique flavor.”
Roberts sees J&J as an example of what he will miss most about the festival. He said he sees so many examples of kids who used to come to McLean Day who now serve as volunteers or staff for the event and bringing their own children.
“This is what makes me love what I do,” he said. “That, to me, paints the picture of a successful event.”