Few traditions in Laurel have endured like the annual Main Street Festival.
Since 1981, the event — organized by the Laurel Board of Trade to spotlight local businesses — has continued to draw crowds as large as 100,000.
Jean McCants, 70, of Laurel, has attended 12 Main Street Festivals over the years. She said she enjoys the live music and opportunities to try food from local vendors.
“[The Main Street Festival] is for everybody, and that’s the good part about it. Everybody can come out and everybody can enjoy each other,” said McCants.
The 45th Main Street Festival took place May 2, featuring about 200 vendors along its usual route on Main Street between Seventh Street and Route 1. To avoid conflicting with the city’s preparations for the Preakness Stakes on May 16, this year’s festival was moved up about a week from its typical date.
Attendees experienced a familiar lineup that included a parade, food vendors, and arts and crafts. Children and families could play in a moon bounce and purchase items from vendors.
The goal of the event is “for the City of Laurel and people outside the city to either be a vendor or come and enjoy the day … [and] to keep [the Main Street Festival] going,” said Jim Cross, chairman of the Laurel Board of Trade.
Gemma Kuijpers, 70, of Laurel, said she values the community aspect of the event.
“It’s a nice community event. We all enjoy the same thing at the same time, which is rare in this day and age of technology,” said Kuijpers.
Credit: Aiesha Solomon
Credit: Aiesha Solomon
But the event is not just about community; it also serves as a revenue stream for the Laurel Board of Trade, which started the event under its former name, the Main Street Merchants Association.
“This is what has provided us with enough money to pay the rent, pay the administrator, [and] pay the bills,” said Cross.
The change in date, along with higher insurance costs, led to a dip in vendor turnout, which typically reaches about 250, according to Cross.
“Our standard operating procedure is to have [the Laurel Main Street Festival] the day before Mother’s Day. The idea being that people could come buy mom a gift, take it home, and give it to her the next day,” said Cross.
The date change did not deter May Wannasiri, of Mark’s Thai Taste, who traveled from Alexandria, Virginia. She said she wanted to return this year due to enhanced safety measures following a vendor fire that shut down last year’s festival.
“We see how they organized. That’s why we were able to come back this year and be more prepared, and we feel more safe here,” Wannasiri said.
Still, Laurel City Council member James Cole, Ward 1, said the continued interest in the festival shows Laurel is a thriving community.
“The economy is booming here. We’ve got everybody coming into town for [the] Main Street Festival, for Preakness. It’s really helping out our local vendors and our businesses here,” he said during the event. “This is Laurel’s homecoming. This is the tradition where everyone comes back to Laurel for what they remember.”