The weather is warm and humid. The school days are done and gone. The air is battered and doubled fried, fragrant of sticky cinnamon sugar mixture, lemonade, and powdered sugar.
From sweet to salty, fairs and festivals encompass it all. Although food is a plus, it is not the only defining factor of a great experience. In and around Greenwood, people eagerly await fairs and festivals for some summer fun. Which one is worth the hype? To get to the bottom of this fun frenzy, I will focus on the Parish Festival, Freedom Fest, and the Johnson County Fair to determine which one is the ultimate experience.
The Parish Festival is a four-day event hosted by Our Lady of the Greenwood to support their parish budget and bring the Greenwood parish community together. The event takes place in early June in the OLG parking lot, and it is truly astonishing to see how fast they can transform an ordinary place into a festival environment.
This festival has it all: food, games, gambling, live music, and even rides. They offer so many food options, and their entertainment options are bound to keep all members of a family or friend group happy. There is also a playground nearby for a fun way to unwind. Much like any traditional festival, the prices are on the heftier side, comparable to a state fair, and the tickets and wrist bands are expensive, too. I find that it is better to buy tickets instead of wristbands because the other attractions of the festival take up some time, too, but, for avid riders, a wristband is the best bet. Some things to look out for are the Zero Gravity and swing rides, which are my favorites, and the food trucks serving delicious elephant ears, churros, and funnel cake.
A downside to this festival is parking. Since the OLG parking lot is out of commission, there is only street parking and parking at the strip mall or CVS. Although this sounds like a decent amount of parking, the Parish Festival gets a lot of visitors, so it is rare to get a spot that is super close to the venue.
Perhaps one of the most anticipated events of the summer is Freedom Fest. Freedom Fest is a one-day event that takes place at Craig Park. This festival occurs in late June, and the main purpose of it is to celebrate America and its independence. The event starts with a parade, and the actual venue has food stalls, live entertainment, and advertising booths all around the park. Sadly, there are no other attractions at this festival, but that does not stop people from having a good time.
When I go, I always play spike ball and take a trip to Mrs. Curl. Even though there are no rides, my experience is always a good one because I get to hang out with my friends and eat delicious food. One of my favorite things about Freedom Fest is that they always have a firework show which is different from any of the other fairs and festivals. They have also added a new addition to the event which is a drone show. The drone show was an amazing experience because I had never seen one before. The drones created pictures that represented America and its freedom as well as playing lively music alongside it. My only complaint was that the show was a little too long.
Much like the Parish Festival, since Freedom Fest is in the same area, there is still little to no parking. It is even worse for Freedom Fest because it is a one-day event where a larger number of people come. Even though the parking situation is bad, I would definitely recommend this festival to anyone who is looking for a fun way to spend time with friends and family.
Last but not least, the Johnson County Fair is an enjoyable event that takes place in July. It is a four-day event, and the venue is the Johnson County Fairgrounds. This fair is by far the biggest, and it has absolutely everything. Their attractions include food, games, animals, rides, demolition derby, and more. One of their most notable features is their ferris wheel that overlooks the entire fairground, including the demolition derby track. My favorite part of this event is visiting the dairy farm and getting free ice cream. It is delicious on a hot summer day.
This fair is quite expensive as well aside from their parking, which is free. The tickets and wristbands are comparable to state fair prices, and the food stalls are the same, too. There is a lot more parking available here than the Parish Festival and Freedom Fest, and it is much busier. I personally enjoy this atmosphere more than the Parish Festival because it is nostalgic of when I would go to the State Fair.
Overall, all of these fairs and festivals have unique qualities, but one rises above them all. The Johnson County Fair and all its attractions take the cake as the best summer event. Its combination of food, animals, games, rides, and demolition derby makes it stand out against the rest, and this fair is truly a fun experience.
