Mayfest Went on Despite Weather

Featuring a panoply of offerings, the local tradition of , a two-day festival in Historic Smithville Village, powered on despite Saturday’s sporadic drizzling and overcast skies.

While the forecast may have diminished the usual shoulder-to-shoulder flow of traffic to the shops, one thing that store owners were happy about was the diverse offerings of this year’s festivities, which ranged from bohemian street buskers providing live music to Jersey-themed beverages and snacks.

Brian Johnson, the co-owner of the shop Herban Legend said he was happy to see so many different kinds of offerings for Mayfest this year, including local band Entourage, who played a wide selection of material, from Earth Wind and Fire to Motown.

“The Village Greene is developing an increasingly more diversified feel,” said Johnson. “With so many people coming from so many different walks of life, the whole feel of the place is reflecting that.”

One attraction that seemed particularly appropriate for this annual local tradition was a book signing that took place at Through the Looking Glass.

Historians Joseph Fedrico and Matthew McHenry set up shop in the recently opened tea bar and book store to sign copies of their new book, Images of America: Galloway Township, a soft-cover containing 200 photos and images depicting Galloway’s history.

“We really enjoyed ourselves,” Fedrico said of Saturday’s festivities. “The smells of the vendors… the [store-owner, Wendy Birkbeck] was just a great hostess.”

While the weather didn’t look initially promising on Sunday, traffic to the shops began to pick up as the sun poked through around 1 p.m. 

“I thought it was going to be a washout,” Michael Spagnola, the co-owner of Underground said. “I’m a happy camper.”

The street vendors, who had set up tents in the parking lots however, seemed to have a more difficult time. Some packed up and left Sunday morning.

May Madison Guttedge of Freehold said two vendors on either side of her tent, Ceramic Cellar, had gone. But, she said, the “[weather] was not as bad as it could’ve been.”