5/3/07

‘Best Ever!’ ... Again
Perfect weather, record crowds make 2007 SBF a winner
By Cathy Gilbert

BRIAN JARVIS/Manning Times

Clarendon’s very own “Elvis” wowed the crowd at Friday night’s opening block party for the 2007 Striped Bass Festival.

By early Sunday morning it was all just a memory.
Save a dumpster of trash and a few sets of bleachers at the Judicial Center, gone was every trace of what was a grand Striped Bass Festival.
Gone were the swarming crowds.

Gone were the bright lights and tantalizing aromas of the food vendors.

Gone were the sounds of music filling the air and causing everyone to tap their toes and shake their hips.

Gone were the rock wall, the bounce house and the face painters.

But what will linger forever are the perfect weather, the seemingly effortless arrangements and all the terrific fun that made Clarendon County the place to be on Friday night and all day Saturday.

Hundreds of volunteer hours came together to bear the fruit that was the 2007 Striped Bass Festival.
“Past Festival Chairman and Chamber President Lamar Kennedy handed us the framework for this year’s success,” said 2007 Striped Bass Festival Cleve Dowell. “The months of hard work by the many volunteers and the Chamber staff paid huge dividends for Clarendon County. Without our many sponsors we could not put on the show we did. It was a great weekend for Clarendon County.”

From local dance schools to Elvis to “Still Cruzin’” on Friday night, the kickoff was just what everyone had had waited for … a great party. Dancing shoes were the dress code for the evening and cool spring temperatures made for an ideal block party.

There was something for everyone with lots of activities for the kids.

The Friday night finale was bigger and better than ever, and what had begun as a threat of rain made for crystal clear skies for the firework display. Visible for miles, the show went off for more than 20 minutes with dazzling displays of pyrotechnics filling the Manning skies.

Saturday began early for the devoted volunteer base that joined Dowell in making sure that Manning was ready to throw a top-notch Super Saturday.

Vendors lined both sides of the courthouse with everything from crafts to corndogs. The crowd, even at its record-capacity was well mannered.

“Everything was great,” Dowell noted. “The weather was great, the crowds were great and the venue was fantastic.”

The Clarendon County Striped Bass Festival, a project of the Chamber of Commerce, continues to grow in size and popularity each year, drawing thousands of visitors to our county.

“The attendance at Friday night’s concert and Saturday’s festival were the most I’ve seen in the eight years I’ve been her,” Dowell said. “Between the golf tournament, sporting clays shoot, Miss Striped Bass pageant, opening ceremonies, Super Saturday and Sunday’s Boat Poker Run, we had something for everyone.”

Get out your big red crayon and go ahead and mark your calendar for next year. Super Saturday is April 26, 2008 and you will not want to miss a moment!