This year’s Labor Day Festival features most of the Greenbelt favorites, from the Outstanding Citizen award to carnival rides, booths, Bingo and more. Come for the spectacle, the community, the fun and the food. Here are highlights of the Festival for the first two days.
Friday Happenings
The Festival opens Friday, September 1 at 6 p.m. with Bingo on the Community Center lawn, midway rides by Rosedale Attractions along with food, game and information booths. Opening ceremonies take place from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., with a color guard and the 2023 Outstanding Citizen presentation. The Rockabilly Rebels, a four-piece group with two members who grew up in Greenbelt, perform live onstage from 8 to 11 p.m. Their show features music from the likes of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry and Johnny Cash that will have the audience dancing.
This week’s issue of the News Review contains the Festival pull-out schedule, cunningly contrived as a handy booklet (with a bit of scissoring and folding). The pullout includes information on the food booths, which include Gyro Queen falafels, Good To Da Bone BBQ, funnel cakes from Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club, waffle bowl with ice cream from the Tea Zone and many others. Plan the weekend’s menus accordingly.
A class act is the Greenbelt Elementary PTA book sale. Despite longstanding rumors that print is dead, the book sale is a big draw for the Greenbelt bookworm. Head there early and often as new layers of books are added.
Friday evening also offers the opportunity for a little exercise, with the adult table tennis tournament ping-ponging off at 6 p.m. at the Youth Center.
A Greenbelt Museum exhibition in the Community Center, The Knowing Hands That Carve This Stone: The New Deal Art of Lenore Thomas Straus, runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day of the Festival.
Events on Saturday
The fun starts early on Saturday with Greenbelt Museum walking tours from 9 to 11 a.m. The midway opens at 11 a.m. and is in full swing until 10 p.m. All-you-can-ride tickets are available at the Festival, and discount vouchers are available at the Co-op through Thursday, August 31 –ask at any register. Lots of food and drink choices will slake thirst and fill tummies.
At Roosevelt Center, visit Information Day and community exhibits set up by local groups, including your favorite paper, the News Review, and learn about your community.
The ever-popular children and teens Pet Show has registration at 9:30 a.m. with awards presented at 10 a.m. Maybe Fido has what it takes to be this year’s Most Enthusiastic Tail Wagger – every pet’s a winner at this show.
At the Art and Photo Show in the Community Center gym, view entries submitted by local artists and photographers and vote for Community Favorites.
Fun events on Braden Field for the small fry start at 10 a.m. and include a water balloon toss, sack race, a pie-eating contest and a diaper derby.
Saturday Music
Katy Gaughan’s family-friendly Drumming for Wellness percussively kicks off Saturday’s rhythmic offerings at the stage from noon to 1:30 p.m. After that, three bands are on the schedule. Proverbs Reggae Band delivers their original, socially conscious reggae music and popular classics such as Bob Marley from 2 to 4:30 p.m. From 5 to 7:30 p.m., Granny and the Boys, D.C.’s #1 house band – four middle-aged men on bass guitar, drums and vocals … and one granny on keys – are on stage. Finishing the lineup is Johnny Seaton, who will wow audiences from 8 to 11 p.m. with his electrifying performance of the music of Elvis Presley.
Next week’s newspaper will give the rundown for Sunday and Monday’s activities.
There’s something for everyone in this year’s Festival.