Three days of food and fun is on tap for Memorial Day weekend at Rocky Fork State Park’s North Beach, and according to Diane Uhl, president of the Rocky Fork Community Alliance, there will be something for everyone.
“Several years ago we decided to incorporate the Sassafras Music Festival into our Spring Market Days flea market,” she said. “Everything is free and open for the public to enjoy, and this year we’ve added a cruise-in, so it’s safe to say it’s a lot more than just a flea market.”
She said Rocky Fork’s Spring Market Days is the umbrella under which the events of the weekend are being held. Those events include the Sassafras Music Festival, local and out of town flea market vendors, and a cruise-in of classic and custom cars.
Everything kicks off with live music starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, with other live performances scheduled for noon Saturday and 12:45 p.m. Sunday, Uhl said, with bands and individual singers slated to perform.
She said acts on the schedule include the Millcreek Drifters, Timberland Express, Down One, Cactus, Wonpeace, Wayfaring Strangers and The Never Way, with local favorites Troy Wait and Matt Swafford on the program as well.
The cruise-in, organized by Joe Mahan, will be from 12 noon until 4 p.m. Saturday for fans of classic, custom and antique cars and trucks, but Uhl said there will be no awards.
Mahan is well-known at the Rocky Fork Lake event for his sassafras tea, candy and jelly that is available at his booth, and Uhl said one of her fondest memories from childhood is the aroma of a pot of sassafras tea setting on the coal burning stove in her home in Pike County.
Flea market vendors will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Uhl said there will be a raffle drawing on Sunday from 4-5 p.m. when the festival closes.
“Family Farm and Home has donated a 10-foot kayak for the raffle,” she said. “We also have a $200 Walmart gift card, which our Paint Township Trustee Randy Mustard donated, and there are a lot of various other items that will be coming in almost up to the last minute, and you don’t have to be present to win.”
She said that much of the food is being provided by Mac’s Concessions, but Kona Ice, Pot Bellied Pig from Greenfield and Rand’s Gourmet Cart would also be on hand with local food and refreshments.
Uhl said there is always room for vendors up to the day of the event, with a charge of $25 for a 10-foot by 20-foot spot, but non-profit groups can set up a booth at no charge.
“Non-profit groups like churches, Boy Scout troops and 4-H groups are always welcome,” she said. “We’ve had the folks from Arc of Appalachia set up to give out information, and the local Relay for Life from the cancer society was here last year, too.”
Interested vendors and non-profit organizations interested in securing booth space should contact the RFCA through Facebook, or can call or text Uhl at 937-725-6467 or Angie Mustard at 937-402-0075
All of the festivities are under the auspices of the Rocky Fork Community Alliance, which Uhl said is a local organization of concerned citizens with an interest in the well-being of Rocky Fork Lake for the benefit of both visitors and residents of the region.
She added that all of the group’s meetings are open to the public every third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the North Beach Activities Center.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571
