In addition to the music and food, this year’s stellar schedule includes:
- Carnival rides, games and prizes will open Friday night and run through Sunday with rides and midway games (discounted “all ride” wrist bands available).
- BBQ Cook Off (28th annual) begins on Friday and ends with an awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon for the Showmanship trophy and cash prizes. (To register for the BBQ Cook Off, contact BBQ Chairman Gary Little at reddrum401@peoplepc.com.)
- LogHoggers will entertain visitors with their chainsaw wizardry. Watch this team of chainsaw artists create wooden sculptures Friday through Sunday. (The pieces will be auctioned off on Sunday.)
- Arts and Craft Fair will provide an excellent opportunity for buying Mother’s Day gifts.
- Best Homemade Apple Pie in Texas Contest will end with the judging on Sunday. There is a youth category for ages 16 and under.
- Bingo – will be offered on site with numerous prizes.
- Mother of the Year Contest. Children may nominate their mothers by submitting essays.
- Raffle for a Village Fair guitar specially commissioned by Danny D Guitar Hacienda.
- Non-denominational Service on Sunday at 11:00 a.m with music by the Mosaic Contemporary Worship Team of League City United Methodist Church. The public is welcome to participate.
The Kids Zone is returning to the Festival this year! This is a special area full of kid-friendly fun with games; pony rides from L&M Horses; train rides around the park; a petting zoo with baby exotic and farm animals; Mike T “The Mad Hatter” magician; Houston Zoo interactive displays; and the Star Family Circus Spectacular—several 30-minute performances of aerial acts, juggling, comedy and more.
Friday morning’s Kids Day: Special needs children get a preview of the Village Fair on Friday morning for Kids Day. The park is closed to the public so these 500+ students from Clear Creek, Pasadena, Hitchcock and Dickinson enjoy the Fair all to themselves for the morning, free of cost. The Kids Day volunteers include members of the Lions Club and employees of Training & Development Systems (TDS). TDS employees prepare and serve lunch to all the students that day. “Kids Day is a blessing for TDS,” says Barry Hardy, CEO of TDS, who also donates the food for Kids Day. “It gives our staff a great feeling to see our community involvement make a difference. We had no idea this would become an annual event for us when we started six years ago. TDS is committed well into the future to support Kids Day with the League City Lions Club.”
VOLUNTEERISM AT ITS FINEST
With thousands in attendance, the Village Fair is believed to be the largest fundraising event in North Galveston County, raising money to support a variety of Lions Club charities—locally, statewide and nationally. Hundreds of Lions Club and other volunteers work year-round to organize the event.
“This year the League City Lions Club Village Fair and Texas Music Festival is getting back to its original tradition of being held on Mother’s Day weekend and we hope to see many moms being treated by their children,” says Steve Nicklow, Village Fair chairman. “Proceeds from the Village Fair benefit so many charities; we couldn’t make such an impact without the donations from many local businesses as well as large corporations. The Lions Club is extremely happy to have BP back as Presenting Sponsor this year as well as long time supporters TDS and Del Papa Distributing.”
TIMES, LOCATION, TICKET INFORMATION
5 p.m - midnight Friday, May 9
10 a.m. – midnight Saturday, May 10
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, May 11
General admission for Friday and Saturday is $10; Sunday $5. Children 12 and younger are admitted free. Presale three-day passes for $20 may be purchased at area Washington Mutual branches. Tickets and wristbands for the carnival rides are sold separately. Credit cards are accepted for admission tickets at the gate.
Walter Hall Park in League City serves as the perfect venue. The park is located on Highway 3 North, between NASA 1 and Main Street. There is plenty of free parking available.
MAJOR SPONSORS
Presenting sponsor is BP. Major sponsors include TDS, Del Papa Distributing Company, Washington Mutual, First Choice Power, Destination League City and The Galveston County Daily News. Numerous media sponsors include 93Q KKBQ-FM, The Galveston County Daily News, Bay Area Houston Magazine, Texas Hot Country Magazine, Digiworld Media, Houston Chronicle, Houston Community Newspapers, Clear Channel Outdoor and wiredin.cc.
CHARITY BENEFICIARIES OF VILLAGE FAIR
Proceeds from the Village Fair benefit the League City Lions Club charities including:
Sight First, Leader Dogs for the Blind, Lions Eye Bank of Texas, The League City Police Department DARE Program, Clear Creek ISD, Future Farmers of America , Interfaith Caring Ministries, YMCA, Devereux Texas, Project Graduation and the Lions Club Children’s Camp for special needs children in Kerrville.
HISTORY OF LIONS CLUB
The first meeting of the League City Lions Club was held in 1952, with 22 members in attendance. The first League City Lions Club Village Fair and Texas Music Festival occurred two years later in 1954 and began as a high school reunion (of a sort) on Mother’s Day weekend.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest community service organization with clubs around the world involved in projects as local as cleaning up an area park or as far-reaching as bringing sight to the world’s blind. Today, with more than 45,000 clubs in 197 countries and geographical areas, Lions have expanded their focus to help meet the ever-increasing needs of our global community, but their mission has never wavered: “We Serve.”
For more information or to volunteer, please visit the Village Fair web site at www.lcvillagefair.com or www.myspace.com/villagefair.
