The Bridgeport Benedum Festival had an addendum, so to speak. The weekend after the July 10-12 main event, Wes Brown and Alan Robbins of 1^st University Athletics hosted a best athlete competition at Bridgeport City Park.

 

“The turnout wasn’t great, but those guys provided an awesome environment,” said Festival Chair Jason McCall.

 

People of all ages – from preschool to middle age - took part in drills and evaluations, including running, strength and agility activities.  

 

The first-time event took about six hours to complete. That’s one of the reasons it was not incorporated into festival weekend, McCall said. It wasn’t about naming a superstar, but more about challenging participants to achieve their own personal best.

 

Next year, the event will be built upon and possibly include basketball, volleyball and other contests.

 

Overall, McCall feels this year’s Benedum Festival was a successful effort.

 

“I think it was great. We had a lot of positive feedback. I heard some even say it was the best festival in years,” he said. “We had more vendors – with everything from jewelry to organic coffee - more entertainment and more groups involved, so we had something for everyone.”

 

With this year’s pet parade and Nuru Bucket Walk both drawing a large number of participants, Saturday's festival got off to an exceptional start.

 

“It was great showing up and having hundreds of people there already,” McCall said.

 

For the first time, this year’s festival kicked off Thursday evening with a “City of Champions” parade, followed by Teen Night at Bridgeport City Park.

 

“The parade was a great addition and was well received,” McCall said. “We didn’t have the turnout we wanted at Teen Night, but everyone who came had fun.”

 

This year’s fireworks display provided an exciting, very well attended finale as hundreds of people settled in on festival grounds with blankets and chairs to enjoy the show.

 

Taking place weeks before the festival, the Benedum Festival Pageant is also an integral part of the overall success of the event. Like the talent show, car show and athletic competition, it’s just another example of meeting various interests, McCall said.

 

McCall sends appreciation to all who played a role in making the festival a success. That includes several civic groups, including DeMolay, which took care of parking and traffic control.

 

“And we want to thank the CVB, Connect-Bridgeport, Don Burton and his (Parks and Recreation) guys for all they do to help us out,” he said.

 

Soon, festival committee members will engage in a wrap-up session, comparing notes and sharing suggestions for next year’s event, McCall said.