Celebrate Greenbelt and exit the summer with a bang at the Labor Day Festival from Friday, September 1 through Labor Day, September 4. Click Here for a link where you can download the program.
Fun abounds for the young and the young-at-heart. Wander from art to thrill rides, rock-n-roll to used-book heaven, munching, dancing and cheering a galaxy of Greenbelt stars.
Friday
Warm up at the Table Tennis Tournament, visit the Community Center, see the Museum exhibit room and bring your entries for the art and photo shows. Then, from 6 to 10 p.m., plunge into the Carnival Midway. Fun, food and activity booths offer refreshment and a breather between exciting rides and games. Opening Ceremonies on the Festival Stage, starting at 6:30 p.m., will introduce and honor Greenbelt’s 2017 Outstanding Citizen. To celebrate the new Greenbelt hero, a reception will follow in the Council Chamber in the Municipal Building. Then, back to the stage, where the Split 2nd band will bring classic rock and favorites from the 60s to the present from 8 to 11 p.m.
Saturday
Choose among an all-day, multi-venue slow-pitch tournament, a museum walking tour at 9 a.m., children’s pet show from 9:30 to 10:30, drum circle at 11 and family cartoons from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Old Greenbelt Theatre. Information Day in the Roosevelt Center will introduce Greenbelt organizations to passers-by. At the art and photo shows, Greenbelt artists of all ages will impress viewers. Roller skating in the Youth Center Gym from 2 to 4 p.m. will add to the active fun of the midway line-up of rides, food and socializing. From 4 to 6 p.m., remember departed friends and family on the hillside behind the Mother and Child statue; a commemorative motorcycle ride at 4 p.m. will precede the memorial gathering. The music line-up will please music lovers from 1:30 to 11 p.m.: The Relics will bring back classics from the 60s and 70s, then Fast Eddie and the Slowpokes deliver blues, swing, Motown and more. The ever-soulful Patty Reese will sing her heart out, and then the killer horn section of the Nowhere Men will bring Motown fans to their feet with favorites from the 60s and 70s.
Sunday
In the “Tour de Greenbelt” self-sufficient cyclists will tour all sections of Greenbelt, from 9 to 10:45 a.m. From noon until 8 p.m., visit the Craft Fair in Roosevelt Center, where artists will display their creations. The Greenbelt Museum House will open from 1 to 5 p.m., hosting a Retro Town Fair on the lawn from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring flowers, vegetables, baked and canned goods and needlework (enter yours between 11 a.m. and noon to compete for a ribbon). Sports competitions will include Youth Table Tennis from noon to 2 p.m., Hot Shot Hoops from 2 to 4 p.m., Two Ball Tournament at 3:45 and the Larry Noel 15k Race and 3k Fun Run at 5 p.m. Cool down in the Old Greenbelt Theatre with family cartoons from 3 to 5 p.m. Music on the Festival Stage will start with the Trio Anaya mariachi band from noon to 1:30, followed by blues, country and original numbers of Mary Shaver and Zachary Sweeney. The Rising Stars Performance Showcase from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. will give Greenbelt youngsters (up to 17) the stage to display singing, dancing and musical talent. To top off the evening, the Original Moonlighters will deliver dance music from R&B to jazz to swing.
Don’t forget that the Farmer’s Market doesn’t operate Labor Day Sunday – but will be back on Sunday, September 10 from 10 to 2 in the parking lot by the Aquatic Center
Labor Day
Greenbelt Labor Day Parade will wend through town with bands, fire trucks and community organizations creatively displaying their talents and services. Then enjoy a summertime lunch with homemade baked treats at the Luncheon on the Lawn at the Greenbelt Community Church, at the corner of Crescent and Hillside Roads. Catch what you missed at the carnival or the Craft Fair or the Greenbelt Museum House, get your face painted, browse the used books and of course eat some more. The Youth Scavenger Hunt (for two person teams, 15 and under) offers trophies for best hunters. Cool off and rest up at the Old Greenbelt Theatre with a free classic movie: A Place in the Sun. The Festival Stage again offers all kinds of entertainment, starting with Cheer DC, whose varied, dynamic athletes support the LGBTQ community. Award presentations from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. recognize winners in the art and photo shows and the parade. Finally, Johnny Seaton, performing the music of Elvis Presley, will close the music program on a high note. For the full schedule of Labor Day festivities, including shuttle bus information, check the insert in the center of last week’s News Review