LURAY, VA -- Plan now to give Mom a special Saturday gift for Mother's Day!  Give her a day of great family-oriented outdoor fun, food and entertainment in the beautiful Town of Luray..."The Town where the Caverns meet the sky!"  The Town of Luray invites you to attend its 4th Annual Festival of Spring, 9AM to 6PM, Saturday, May 10th. http://luraydowntown.com/spring.html
        

This day-long street fair will feature live entertainment throughout the day, more than 100 quality food, craft and educational booths, wine tasting featuring 10 or more Virginia wineries, and the greatest duck races ever seen on the Hawksbill Creek!  The 2008 Festival of Spring will welcome 3 new events:  a 5 kilometer race kicking off at 7:30 AM and ending downtown just as the Festival vendors open their booths, a Canine Frisbee Tournament featuring competition for Canine Frisbee Champions from across the Washington metro area and their owners, and a $1,500 Grand Opening Duck Race at 2:15 PM on the Hawksbill Creek that bisects the Town of Luray. 

In fact, ducks for the first race of the day are on sale at shops across the Town of Luray and online at www.luraydowntown.com. First prize for the first duck race will be 4 days and 3 nights in an elegant private home in Duck, North Carolina, valued at $1000.  The next 10 ducks across the line will also take prizes at $50 or more.  Remember, each duck for the first race requires a $5 donation, but winners do not have to be present to win.  Then, beginning at 3PM, we'll launch another race down the Hawksbill Creek, with donations falling to $2 per duck or 3 for $5.  
         

The Festival, which is being organized by the Luray Downtown Initiative, will offer day-long fun and entertainment for the whole family -- everything from cotton candy and children's activities for kids to great crafts, wine tasting, and food vendors for adults.   Large signs will point the way to many different venues -- kiddie rides at the Inn Lawn Park, photography, art and sculpture at the Art Warehouse, duck races on the Hawksbill Creek, and much more.  
        

In the afternoon, check out our many food vendors for your favorites from last year, or find a new blend of spices to whet your palate.  Food vendors will provide everything from hot-dogs, to BBQ chicken, to grilled pork-loin sandwiches, to genuine pit-cooked North Carolina style chopped BBQ.  We have all sorts of quality craft vendors offering jewelry, pottery, candles, sewn and textile items, woodwork...the gamut one would expect to find at a good street fair  We already have wineries signed up for the expanded wine garden.  Tasting requires proof of age and there is a fee, but it will be attractive to those who want to sample some of the best wines from the Commonwealth.
        

We are really focusing on providing entertainment for the kids...not just Mom and Dad.  We'll have a barrel-train ride, a moon-bounce, face painting, May-pole dance, cotton candy, and llamas to pet.  Additionally, we'll have music by the 340 South Band and the Daryl Ray Band throughout the day.  
        

So, we hope to see you in Luray on Saturday, May 10th.  You'll marvel at what Luray is doing to restore and invigorate its Historic Downtown areas.  You'll marvel at the Art Warehouse -- a fantastic art gallery in the center of Town -- and the caliber of art from artists across the Shenandoah Valley.  You'll marvel at the colorful murals local artists are painting on buildings throughout the Town.  Enjoy the walkways and picnic areas of Luray's Greenway Park along the banks of the Hawksbill.  The Greenway is even larger than last year and will be a great vantage point to see our fireworks display when we host another street fair on July 4th.  In other words, you'll enjoy a great family day together and discover everything the Town of Luray is doing to highlight itself as "The Town where the Caverns meet the sky."   
        

The 2008 Luray Festival of Spring promises eight blocks of downtown Luray brimming full of Festival activities timed to make sure there's something to entertain the kids and give Mom a great day out of the house!  We hope to see you there!