This weekend, the city of Waco will once again be welcoming thousands of visitors to its annual Waco Fest, and the event promises to entertain all as organizers have packed the day with lots of activities and fun.

The day will start early with vendors of crafts and foods setting up their booths in front of city hall.

“We are full to capacity with booths this year,” said City Clerk Sherry Morgan. “I wish we could add more, but we just don’t have the space.”

However, Morgan says there will be a very wide variety of food and crafts for the crowds to peruse.

“We’ll have every thing from funnel cakes, snow cones, fried fish, cotton candy, nachos, barbecue, boiled peanuts, ice cream and polish sausages to hand bags, T-shirts, hair bows, jewelry, woodwork, quilts and toys,” she said.

The city will also be providing free games and activities for children at the city park behind city hall. Some activities provided by outside vendors will require a fee, such as the pony rides, train rides and petting zoo. However, everything else, such as the inflatables, will be free.

“Two city representatives will be a the pavilion at noon, where they’ll lead everyone in hulla hooping, sack races and other relay games and a treasure hunt,” Morgan said.

There will also be drawings throughout the day for tickets for free rides and for prizes.

All the games will start after the parade, which starts at 11 a.m., and crowds can expect to see both the Bremen High School and Haralson County Marching Bands, dancers from Fever Performing Arts, the Girl Scouts, the Fire Department and several local churches and civic organizations.

Those who are participating in the parade will need to line up at 10 a.m. on Bowdon Street.

The street will be shut down during the parade; however, the rest of the day, Waco Baptist Church will be providing free transportation from the church and West Georgia Technical College to City Hall every 15 minutes. Waco Baptist will also be hosting breakfast in the city’s community center. Afterward, Hands of Creation will be hosting BINGO and a yard sale.

Visitors should also keep an eye out for the Toys for Tots booth. Christmas is only four months away, so the charitable organization is beginning their collection of toys. Bring any new, unwrapped toy by their booth to make a donation.

Throughout the day, there will also be entertainment indoors at City Hall beginning at noon, with the last act going onstage at 4:30 p.m. Meanwhile, an outdoor stage will be keeping listeners tapping their feet from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., after which the city-wide street dance will start at 8 p.m. A complete schedule of events follows this article, please reference it for specific show times.

All in all, organizers expect a fun-filled day and lots of visitors – an estimated 4,000 passed through the town last year.

“It’s just a great opportunity for families to come out, have some fun and not break the bank,” Morgan said.

In fact, one family may go home with a little extra cash in their pockets as a $200 grand prize will be given away to one lucky winner during the street dance. Find the city’s booth during the festivities to register.