MAYFEST: PERRYVILLE SALUTES GERMAN HERITAGE

What has become a tradition during the second week of May will be bigger and better than ever next weekend in Perryville.

Organizers of the town's annual May Fest are hoping for good weather for the festival, which regularly draws thousands of people.

Jerry Jeffrey, May Fest chairman, said the festival started more than 40 years ago when the town celebrated it's sesquicentennial. After several years of not holding the festival, the town began it again in the early 1980s.

"The festival has a German heritage background," Jeffrey said. "The food is the main way we emphasize the heritage."

Jeffrey said it was just a few years ago that organizers won the right to hold all the May Fest events on or near the historical square in the middle of town.

"We really decided to make something out of it and make this thing a really big festival," he said.

Vendors sell bratwurst, bockwurst, funnel cakes and other traditionally German items, but pizza, hot dogs, barbecue and fish are also sold.

The festival begins the evening of May 10 and continues through May 11. Jeffrey said the arts and crafts displays are a big attraction. Artists and crafters come from several states and begin to set up for the festival early, he said.

A quilt display inside the courthouse that sits in the center of the square is "spectacular," he said. The quilt display will be by the county Extension clubs.

A number of bands will perform throughout the festival, including the Perryville High School Jazz Band, Bob Cuban Phoenix, and Jay Wingert and Wild Country. The Waterloo German Band, which will perform May 11 at 2 p.m. is a nationally-renowned band that has performed at the White House, Jeffrey said.

Rounding out the attractions will be a soap-box derby, art show displays, a bake sale, a health fair sponsored by Perry County Memorial Hospital, a chicken dinner, a cutest-baby contest and a mother-daughter look-alike contest.

In addition, carnival rides and midway games will be available throughout the festival.

Last year the festival was plagued by rain, Jeffrey said. This year, he said he is hoping for perfect weather.

"Everyone tells me the weather is out of my control, and I know it is, but I still want to know what's coming," he said. "And what I hope is coming the second week in May is lots and lots of sunshine."