The 10th anniversary of Auburn's CityFest drew hundreds of vendors, performers and daytrippers to Kiesel Park Saturday, making for a slightly damp day of recreation.
Morning showers and the threat of severe weather forced an early closing to CityFest, hosted by the Auburn Department of Parks and Recreation.
"We had a little more rain than sunshine this year, but our vendors and our volunteers and our sponsors and our citizens stuck with us and we had a great year," said Meg Rainey, Auburn CityFest co-coordinator. "It really hasn't dampened anyone's spirits."
Auburn CityFest included dozens of vendor booths, ranging from corporate fixtures like Chick-fil-A and Charter Communications to more homespun crafts like handmade birdhouses and dragon-shaped tire swings.
It was the first year in attendance for local businessman Eric Stamp, owner of Stamp printshop. Stamp came to CityFest with a guest--a 7-foot robot statue made of vinyl records to promote his new store, Camp Stamp, a do-it-yourself spin-off of his printshop.
"We've had a better crowd than I expected, looking at the weather over the last couple of days," Stamp said.
CityFest also featured a variety of activities for children at the "Imagination Station," including a collection of inflatable games, pony rides and performances by storytellers and trained dogs.
Anthony Taylor of Vinemont put on his clown makeup to make his third appearance as Tone Tone the Clown.
Taylor rode through Kiesel Park on a miniature bike goofing around with musicians and entertaining the children.
"Each year just keeps getting better and better," Taylor said. "Even though we've gotten a little wet, we've had a ball."
The musical performances included headliner John Peterson, in addition to The Undergrounders from Birmingham.
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