Following the opening day events, the first day of festivities kicked off with an opening prayer, which made way for a sun baked eight hours featuring dancing performances, a Tim McGraw impersonator, an elementary school-aged guitar wunderkind, and many other entertainment acts which took the always-occupied stage throughout the day.
Parking near the festival grounds was hard to come by, said Fipps, who estimated that at least 7,000 people turned out to experience the stage entertainment and to take advantage of the over 50 vendors which were present.
There were also play opportunities for children at LaurelFest, including inflatable games, pony rides and the community center's built-in playground equipment.
Wayne Mace of Laurel Hill found the food available by vendors along with the Little Miss LaurelFest pageant the most enjoyable features of the 2009 edition of the event.
"We have had a great day," said Mace.
Vendors enjoyed Saturday's temperatures, which reached well into the 90's, as they sold ice cream and cold drinks at a premium.
At noon on Saturday members of the "Green Beret Sky Diving Team" parachuted onto an open field on the festival grounds, delighting the thousands in attendance.
Throughout the day antique and collectible cars were on display, as well, thanks to Larry McAllister and "The Tuesday Cruisers."
With so many people attending, there was a strain on the area's parking facilities. A nearby church and several private property owners opened up their land for parking, and shuttle buses were arranged to transport festival goers from the most distant parking spots.
Friday kicked off the weekend with a "Gaither-like Homecoming Event" which saw gospel, in the traditional Southern style, take over the stage.
Laurel Hill local RJ Willis saw the festival as an opportunity to "spend time with family."
Willis attended LaurelFest with his siblings and cousins, taking the time to observe the festival stage and "have fun."
Fipps noted after the festival that, due to this year's LaurelFest success, a number of vendors have already reapplied for 2010's edition of the festival.
Organizers have also, Fipps said, secured the services of Tim McGraw impersonator Tim Hair, along with the parachutists for next year's festival.
"We had to have security around (Tim Hair) last year," said Fipps, who also anticipated the expansion of the Little Miss LaurelFest pageant.
Connie Coleman, one of the pageant's organizers, added that extending the pageant to include a "Little Mr. LaurelFest" crown will also be considered when planning for the next festival gets started in earnest in October of this year.
Dancers from the Karen Gibson School of Dance were the first to take the festival stage on Saturday, followed throughout the day by performers from Top Dawgz and Rhythm Explosion along with a number of individual musical acts.
LaurelFest was designed to offer Laurel Hill residents and others from around the area a means to celebrate the culture of Laurel Hill in a positive way. The festival was born from the block party idea initially put into action by the community organization the "Knights of Laurel Hill."
Proceeds from LaurelFest will go to charity, with this year's totals being calculated before the end of the month, according to Fipps.
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