Suwanee Day
Hooray for Suwanee Day!
Had the 29th rendition of Suwanee Day been a film, it definitely would have received two thumbs up and mostly "fresh" ratings from Rotten Tomatoes critics. Suwanee's annual "celebration of community" began with the wailing siren, beating drum, and marching feet that are the Suwanee Day parade. The parade was immediately followed by a "dreamy" flash mob performance staged by the Royal Dance Academy and then nearly 12 more hours of eclectic entertainment.
Throughout the day, more than 50,000 people came to Town Center Park for free performances, yummy food, and unique browsing and shopping opportunities with the festival's more than 100 arts and crafts exhibitors.
"We come first for the food," admitted the Olivar family, who live just outside the Suwanee City limits. "And the arts and crafts – we love those."
"Everyone's here having fun," noted Charlie Oliver. "It's kind of contagious. The fun part is being here with happy people."
Suwanee residents Janice and Ron Zumer were at the festival with friends and had spent some time at the "jumpy houses" with a young neighbor. They've enjoyed watching the festival grow over the 21 years that they've lived in Suwanee.
"We remember when Suwanee Day used to be in Old Town," said Ron Zumer, who fondly recalls memories of being there with family and friends."
The festival, he adds, "gets bigger and better every year really. You can see by the turnout that people look forward to coming."