Mayfest 2015 brought a wide variety of events and activities to Trinity Park to feed, amaze and entertain the Fort Worth community.
Twenty years after a hailstorm ended the festival early, this year’s Mayfest was met with blue skies.
“We have a pretty comprehensive emergency plan,” said Carrie Cappel, a member on the Mayfest board of directors. “We can empty the park in 30 to 40 minutes.”
Fortunately, no emergency procedure was necessary this year as the weekend gave way to warm weather.
Mayfest boasted a varied concentration of events, food and arts. Walking around, it was possible to see both an All-American Lumberjack Contest and a water-skiing squirrel.
Trinity Park offered an expansive amount of space to showcase different aspects of Fort Worth’s community. Many small businesses set up shop to grow their customer bases and appeal to the foot traffic the festival has to offer.
Mack Williams, a representative for the company Click Heat, said that Mayfest was a great opportunity for the company.
“These types of festivals are the best way to get our name out there and appeal to customers that would not otherwise know about us,” Williams said.
Click Heat took advantage of the opportunity with a display of heat and cold packs that instantly heat themselves when a small pocket inside them is popped, causing a chemical reaction that heats the entire pack.
In addition to small businesses, many local artists took the opportunity to showcase some of their best work.
Sophy Sam, a photographer, offered a display of visually appealing photos of different Texas wild flowers that are coincidentally in the shape of letters.
Sam used these pictures to spell out names and inspirational messages.
“I want to create uplifting messages,” Sam said. “When people look at my art, I want them to live in the moment and understand that every moment is beautiful. I do not want them to worry too much about the past or present.”
Over the course of the weekend, more than 40 musical groups performed and nearly 60 different vendors marketed their artistic creations.
Animals were another major focus of this year’s festival as multiple pony rides, petting zoos and other animal-related activities were set up throughout the park.
Patrons could take advantage of a petting zoo featuring donkeys, goats, pigs and longhorns. In certain areas, children were allowed to feed the animals. A group of rambunctious goats stole the show as children flocked to feed the lively animals.
There were also two Siberian tigers in attendance, coming all the way from All Things Wild in Dallas. The tigers were available for photo opportunities at the price of 15 tickets and could be fed by some of the patrons.