Reisterstown Festival Continues 25-Year Tradition This Weekend

For residents of Reisterstown, the second weekend in September is an eagerly anticipated time for laughter, entertainment and other festivities in the form of the .

This weekend, the Reisterstown Festival celebrates its 25^th birthday. With a parade, live entertainment, demonstrations, delicious food and dozens of vendors, this year’s event promises to mark the occasion.

“The festival was originally called ‘the Reister's Towne Festival’ in honor of John Reister,” explained Norma Bosley, an Owings Mills resident and the festival’s executive director. The community started doing the festival as a way to showcase the community and its businesses as well as local artisans, crafters and food vendors, she said.

“Monies raised were donated back to the community,” Bosley said.

With each passing year, the festival has grown in popularity, vendors and entertainment, although big-money sponsorship was more readily available in the festival’s beginning, Bosley said. Big-name entertainment, including America, the Mamas and the Papas, Tiny Tim, Kenny Chesney and several others have performed at the festival over the years.

As the economic situation changed, support from sponsors dropped off. The festival also outgrew its original space at Franklin Middle School, with the addition of the new school building, and has since been held at . Despite the changes, the original components of the festival still stand today—a parade, vendors, a children's area, beer garden, live entertainment, evening fireworks and the more recent addition of a living history encampment.

As tradition governs, the Reisterstown Festival will begin promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, with a parade procession down Reisterstown’s Main Street. Local businesses, marching bands, sponsors, political figures and even the Wells Fargo Stage Coach will head over to the Hannah More grounds for a flag raising behind the concession stands immediately following the parade.

The grounds officially open at 11 a.m. Other Saturday enjoyments include a “Dances Throughout History” reenactment event at 7 p.m., featuring dances from the 1860s through present times, and the traditional fireworks spectacular at 8:45 p.m. on the Hannah More ball field.

The festival continues on Sunday with a Car and Truck Show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, re-enactors will lead festival-goers in patriotic songs and a tribute to fallen 9/11 families, friends and heroes in a remembrance ceremony at the demo stage at 11:30 a.m. Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are expected to make appearances during this event.

A Variety of Entertainment

On both days, visitors will enjoy live entertainment, food and an abundance of vendors. Come by the main stage and listen to the talented works of: Ken Fischer & Wayne Smith, Third Pearl, Dean Crawford and the Dunn's River Band and Anything Goes on Saturday, and Layers and The James Harson Project on Sunday. Be sure to refresh with A & B Ice Cream, Chesapeake Foods, Firehouse Coffee Co., Frosty’s Shaved Ice, London Court Beverage, Ostrowski’s Famous Polish Sausage, the Reisterstown Kiwanis Club, South Carolina BBQ and The Corner Stable.

This year’s festival will also feature a demonstration stage to showcase local groups, including martial arts, cheerleading and Zumba. Medieval Times will also be on the scene to perform a sword fight. The children’s area has been expanded this year to include numerous other activities and entertainments to keep the youngest festival-goers happy. This year’s festival raffle is also expected to be bigger and better than ever.

The festival’s committee includes: Norma Bosley, Executive Director; Patrick Naughton, President; Dave Bamford, first Vice President; Jennifer DeMoss, second Vice President; Sherri Brogan, third Vice President; Kim Carmine, Secretary, and Dee Cooper, Treasurer. Sponsors include: Farmers & Merchants Bank, Farnen and Dermer, Hyatt Place, Lite 101.9 FM, Big Lots and many others.

The Reisterstown Festival will be held at on Saturday, September 10, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 11, from noon to 5 p.m. A complimentary shuttle service will run continuously from the lot to the Hannah More Park entrance on both days. For more information, visit www.reisterstownfest.com.