Quezada

The 2021 Lakefest was considered a large success by all who attended, from vendors to staff members to the patrons themselves.

Taking place Friday through Sunday of this past weekend, with Saturday being their biggest day, Lakeside Park was filled of numerous experiences and memories that festival-goers will take with them for the rest of their lives.

Lakeside park was an appropriate venue for Lakefest, as boats could be seen on the water throughout the entirety of the three-day event.

In total, there were six different rows of vendors. These vendors all served different purposes, with Golden Rule BBQ providing an assortment of options for food as well as free alcohol for those who were of age. Other food options lined the front row of the festival, with options such as Traffic Jam’s wide variety of fries, a Dippin’ Dots stand, among many others.

Other vendors throughout the venue provided a unique experience, such as Joe Quezada with Mud Artz Creations, who uses laser-engraving technology and his skills with stain glass to create a broad spectrum of special items, including his number-one hit: custom made birdhouses. Quezada said he was happy to attend another Lakefest, and was willing to stick it out at his tent until the end, regardless of the heat.

Also in attendance was Sherman Williams, the former Alabama Crimson Tide and Dallas Cowboys superstar football player. Williams was a hit amongst the audience of all ages, but especially with kids who wanted a chance to meet the winner of a 1992 national championship with Alabama.

While some vendors came from all over, many of the vendors were also local, including the Pell City Chamber of Commerce, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and Hargray Communications.

“I think it was a wonderful event. The people seemed energetic and there was a lot of people there,” Urainah Glidewell, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said. “We were proud to be a part of it.”

The entertainment was a success as well, with a large stage placed in the front center of the venue providing multiple performances, interactive audience games and prize giveaways throughout the course of the three days. Individuals won everything from coolers to tumblers to gift certificates. The performances were headlined by Saturday evening’s performance by Outshine.

This was one of the largest events Pell City has put on since the start of COVID-19, and it was obvious amongst the residents and patrons that they were happy to be back to some state of normalcy, with one man announcing on stage how nice it was to walk around without having to wear a mask.