Lehigh Spring Festival to start March 13

By Staff | Mar 4, 2015

Judy Culver

This year’s Lehigh Spring Festival promises to be bigger and better, says Judy Carter, a member of the board that puts on the festival with the support of local businesses. The Spring Festival, an annual event in Lehigh for several years, begins Friday night, March 13 and continues to March 21 with a huge parade down Homestead Road and a concert with a popular country music star. All events are held at Veterans Park on Homestead Road.

Tim Charron, who is working “The Chasing the Sun Tour 2015” in Florida, will perform at 8 p.m. Opening the show at 7 p.m. will be Dani Dease. The Tim Charron Band calls itself a “country rock with a twist of lime.”

Andy Reisinger, chairman of the festival board, will welcome guests Friday night and introduce the many financial supporters on the first night of the festival.

This year’s festival is being dedicated to Karen Hoppe, who died Feb. 21. She is the wife of William Hoppe. Both have been very active in the festival for many years.

Judy Carter, who oversees all the pageants, said that this year for the first time, there will be a musical presentation put on by Southwest Florida’s Premier Live Latin Orchestra.

Tim Charron Band

Carter said there had been requests from the Spanish-speaking community for additional entertainment for Latin residents.

Like all events at the festival, the concert is free. There is a $4 charge for parking at Veterans Park, where the festival is being held. Half of the proceeds go to a Boy Scouts troop in Lehigh, Carter said. There are entry fees for those signing up for the car show exhibition.

Some of the highlights this year include:

– 5K Race in the Park

– Arts & Crafts Fair

– Car, Truck and Bike Show

– Lehigh Idol competition

– Junior Miss and Queen Pageants

– Baby and Toddler Pageant

– Prince and Princess Pageant

Culver noted that the Arts & Crafts Show is on Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to dusk and again on Sunday, March 15 from noon to 5 p.m. She said hundreds of hand-crafted items will be exhibited with dozens of local vendors and artists.

“This is the second year for our Car, Truck & Bike Show,” Carter said.

“It has become a very popular event. It’s on Saturday, March 14 from 2 to 6 p.m. and is open to all years, makes and models.

An entry is $15 if pre-registered or $20 on the day of the show.

Carter said the carnival rides also begin Friday night and continue nightly during the week along with plenty of fast food vendors. Tickets purchased early for rides will save families money rather than buying tickets separately, Carter said.

Also on the night of March 14, the Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band will perform.

Pageants will be held on Sunday for the Baby and Toddler competition, the Prince and Princesses, the Miss Lehigh and the Junior Miss Lehigh contests.

Carter said there will be plenty of local talent throughout the week such as Footnotes Dancers, and the Susan Katz dancers.

On Thursday, Carter said for the first time, they will present the Calendar Girls, a sing and dance group of women who are 55 and older.

“They were here for the Make a Difference Day and were so popular that we’ve been asked to invite them to the festival to perform,” Carter said.

The Lehigh Acres Idol competitions (Junior and Adult) begin on the first Friday night and conclude on the final Friday night, March 20. Vicki Culver has been the longtime emcee of the Idol contests.

While there are all types of events during the week, Culver noted that one is of special importance.

“That is our Horse Shoe Tournament,” she said. “It starts after the opening ceremony. Ed Holscher is the chairman and trophies are presented. It is a very favorite competition with many followers.”

The grand parade will be held on March 21 beginning at 11 a.m. along Homestead Rd.

At 10:45 a.m., there will be a bicycle decorating contest that will travel the route and stop at the judge’s stand in front of SunTrust Bank.

Both Judy Carter and Vicki Culver will emcee the parade and introduce the entrants as they pass by the judges’ stand.

Expect to see floats and lots of people marching along the route, handing out candy to the children. Prizes are given to certain parade categories.

Culver said Parade Chairman Andy Reisinger is hoping for the appearance of local high school bands in this year’s parade. Last year, band members were on a school break and no band was in the parade.

To see all the events, and there are many, go online at: www.LehighSpringFestival.com.

“You’ll see our calendar of events for each day of the festival and the names of the sponsors,” Carter said.

“This is Lehigh’s premiere event each year and it’s our way for local supporters to put back into the community.”

The Lehigh Spring Festival is probably now in its fourth decade. It began as a way for the locals in Lehigh to put on a festival for the winter residents who were preparing the leave and return to their northern homes before Easter.

: Tim Charron Band