There was plenty to do this week and Lehigh Acres residents took full advantage to enjoy themselves at the 35th annual Lehigh Acres Spring Festival. They began the nine-day celebration on March 20 and during the weekend, they had such events as a pet show, a country music concert by a Nashville artist, baby diaper derby races, pageants for the little Princess and Prince and the Miss Spring Festival and the Junior Miss Spring Festival.

And in between all these events which were held Saturday, hundreds of people strolled the grounds at Veterans park and ate cotton candy, popcorn, burgers and hotdogs. Gone this year from the Midway vendors were smoked turkey legs.

Jeff Bates, a country music singer from Nashville, appeared in a free concert on Saturday night, but only some 500 or more people turned out, disappointing Festival officials. Chairman Ernie Hartman said it was a nice crowd but not as large as in previous years. It could be because Bates is not as well known a performer as in previous years when people like Taylor Swift sang here two years ago.

On Friday Saturday at 1 p.m., judges passed our ribbons and cash to winners of the annual Pet Show. It was first time that the only pets that were entered were dogs – small, medium, and large. The overall winner that got the Best-In-Show was a female Sheltie. Half brothers Jalen Conteno and Damian Carpio proudly posed for pictures with their dog and the big purple Best-in-Show ribbon.

There was no meowing and no hissing from cats and snakes this year, but there was plenty of dog fur entered in the Lehigh Acres Spring Festival’s Pet Show and the dogs seemed to enjoy the show as much as their owners.

The Pet Show, the first competition held in the nine-day Festival was held at the pavilion at the rear of the park on the pond. A panel of judges, including Dr. Carlos Gonzalez, his wife, Lisette, and Lori Jackson, the office manager of Gonzalez’s Lehigh practice, watched as dogs in three divisions little, medium, and large sized dogs paraded in front of them.

The event began at 1 p.m. and Liz Eilf was the emcee and the person responsible for the show.

After about an hour, the judges had made their decisions and the three dogs and their owners posed for pictures. Photos are online at: lehighacrescitizen.com

Winners of the three classes included dogs by name. The names of the owners were not taken by pet show officials.

Large dogs: First Matty, Labrador; Second Carson, English Labrador; Third, Berkley, Choc Labrador.

Medium dogs: First, Neka, Sheltie; Second, Rudy, a Boxer; Third, Bridget, a Sheltie.

Small dogs: First, Angie, a Chihuahua; Second, Sweet Pie, a Maltese Mix; Third, Korki a Yorkshire.

Local singing artist Kalee Coyle sang the National Anthem officially opening this year’s Festival. She was the first Festival Spring Idol Contest winner a few years back when the Festival began holding competition for local people with talent. They hold two Idol shows, one for the kids and another for adults and the people who attend vote for the winners each night until the last one is left standing.

In Saturday’s several pageants for children, MaryaAnna Brynn Invego was crowned Little Princess and Dylan Cote Samdlin was chosen by the judges as the Little Prince.

Little Brooklyn Palarozyk won for having the best costume.

The new Miss Spring Festival was Andrea Brown. She is 15 and the daughter of Tina and Chuck Brown of Lehigh. She attends Riverdale High School as a sophomore and wants to go to the University of Florida and become a physical therapist. She was the Junior Miss in 2006 and came in second in the Miss Spring Festival Contest last year.

The Junior Miss Spring Festival was Kaylea Hunsicker and the first runner-up was Mandi Shoopman. All the queens and the Little Prince will ride on the Spring Festival’s float in the Saturday parade.

Susan Teston, the assistant director at the Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce was chairman of the pageants’ contests. She even prepared an attractive 2009 Miss Lehigh Spring Festival pageant program with all the names of the contestants that had signed up prior to the festivities.

Later Sunday, Danny and MeloDee, Lehigh’s original Duo performed on the stage and at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., the two Spring Festival idol contests were held.

The bright lights were all a glitter as nighttime fell at the park but the Midway continued open until 11 p.m. as it does most nights.

The pageant continued for the rest of the week at nights with competitions for the bet sewing, needlework and quilts, craft and woodworking on Monday night. On Tuesday night, there was an art contest and on Wednesday night, competition was held for the best cakes, cookies and chili contest.

Sandwiched in between these competitions which were overseen by Liz Eilf were all types of entertainment each night and the Midway remained opened every night until 11 p.m. For a complete list of activities, you can go online at: lehighspring festival.com or look at a copy of a special supplement published in the Lehigh Acres Citizen last week.

A special performance was given by East Lee County High School’s Drama Stomp Team under the direction of Laurence DeWeever. Four of his drama and dance students performed while the judges were scoring entries for the pageants. The team included Ja’Queas Pete, Isaiah Crumity, Jammall Jules, Chad Cornick and Jawan Escobar.