Sixth annual Detroit River Days festival a hit with crowds |
| Release Date: June 25, 2012 |
The 7-month-old, Aiza, spent nearly a half-hour sitting in the shadow of the Detroit Princess as an artist painstakingly sketched her likeness for a colorful portrait. Her father needed to keep the infant smiling and attentive, so out came the jangling silver pieces to catch her eyes. The verdict when the artwork finally was finished? "It's good," Ayub said. He and hundreds of other families flocked to Hart Plaza this weekend for the sixth annual River Days festival. All along the RiverWalk on Sunday, countless visitors breezed through the festival, taking in the sights and sounds on its final day. Children rode carousels, splashed in fountains and toted 2-foot-tall plush Bart Simpson dolls as a silver-painted man performed tricks, an artist scrawled chalk images of cars on the sidewalk and a band played R&B songs in the humid air. For some attendees, the event was eye-opening. "There were different things I didn't know about," said Denaysia Johnson, 12, who had her face painted, listened to a violinist and enjoyed a memorable boat ride with her father, Raphael Johnson. Farther down the riverfront, throngs of visitors formed long lines for the midway attractions, which included a waterslide. Sarah Fults of Taylor munched on nachos while her daughter, Madelynn, 4, eagerly waited for a miniature dune buggy ride. "The little rides are her favorite," Fults said, adding that their first time to the festival was fun for them both. "It's a good reason to come down here on a good day. It seems really nice down here." The 54th Target Fireworks Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather on Detroit's international riverfront tonight for the annual fireworks display. Fireworks are expected to start at 10:06 p.m. and end at about 10:40 p.m., Detroit officials say.
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