Hundreds of people attended the 2022 WinterFest on Dec. 3 along Main Street in Festus, but that was down from previous years, said Barb Lowry, the Festus recreation and tourism director.
“I’m going to say there were 750 to 1,000. It was probably a third of what we had last year,” she said.
Lowry said brisk weather that day may have contributed to the drop in attendance.
“It was cold and windy,” she said.
The annual festival offered free or low-cost entertainment, like inflatable bounce houses and obstacle courses, face painters, balloon twisters, a petting zoo, pony rides and some live entertainment.
“There was always a long line for the face-painting, balloon-twisting,” Lowry said. “The pony rides were very busy, as was the petting zoo. A couple of the food trucks said they sold out.”
The WinterFest also offered a trackless train for the first time.
“The train was very well received,” Lowry said. “We’ve never had it before. It was all around the (Festus Public Library) parking lot.”
She said some indoor activities saw a lot of participation.
“The First United Methodist Church (113 Grand Avenue) Breakfast with Santa sold out of food,” she said. “And, the activities at the library (400 W. Main St.) drew well.”
Elizabeth Steffen, the library director, said a steady stream of children, parents and others stopped by to check out the fun in the library that day.
“We had 388 take-home art crafts and gave away every one of them,” Steffen said. “Our Friends of the Festus Public Library group also had a Christmas table set up with Christmas decorations as a fundraiser and did well. We had over 1,300 come through during the day. We felt like it was up from last year.
“We enjoy having the WinterFest. We enjoy participating in it.”
Also at the library, holiday-themed decorated cookies were on display and people were asked to vote for their favorite in different categories. Jaime Brown of Festus won the category for those 18 and older, and her child, Aden Brown, won the category for those 13 and younger. No one entered the 14-17-year age category. Each winner received a $50 cash prize.
Lowry said fairgoers flocked to the Santa House in Schneider Park at the intersection of Main and Mill streets that opened for the season during the WinterFest.
“I’m going to say Santa saw several hundred kids at Santa House,” she said. “He saw a few puppies, too.”