2018 Accessible Festival offers lots of fun
On Friday, July 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the 2018 Accessible Festival will open its doors once again at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds’ Education Building. With 26 vendors, snacks donated by Frito-Lay and plenty of delicious sodas and water, the theme is “Shake Your Groove Thing”!
Anyone attending the festival will enjoy snacks, a dance-off, lip-sync contest, smoking hot DJs, free photo booth, arts & crafts and lots of games & activities.
WSTA is encouraging persons with disabilities and their families to come on out and have fun day at the Fairgrounds’ Education Building.
The festival started around 14 years ago, when WSTA General Manager Art Barnes developed an idea that was to be a one-time only event: targeting children and adults with disabilities.
Held at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, the main attraction was “Serena’s Song,” a wheelchair-accessible tethered hot air balloon.
The blue balloon bearing the symbol of a person in a wheelchair was designed to take its passengers on a ride that was around 50-feet straight up in the air. The balloon owner and pilot, Gary Waldman and Phil Gray, respectively, were both parents of children with disabilities. Therefore, they understood the extreme necessity for safety, while giving the passengers the ride of a lifetime. It was so successful, WSTA decided to make it an annual event.
Fast forward to July 2018, and Mr. Barnes and his staff are preparing for the 14th year of fun and fellowship with the local community of person with disabilities. The Accessible Festival is very different than it was in 2005. It started out as a two-day event. However, when the balloon pilot Gary could no longer be a part of the event, WSTA had to find a way of making it more fun and exciting for its targeted crowd. Barnes changed the name to Accessible Festival and they have not looked back. The festival staff has gotten to know many of the regular festival attendees and look forward to meeting every new person who attends.
For more information about the 2018 Accessible Festival, call (336)-748-3243.
