Near-perfect weather highlights ?busy? ?04 festival

Q. From a personal standpoint, on August 9, the day after the festival, what are you hoping to say about the 2004 festival? (Bob) Urlaub: That the weather was great and so was the festival. — The Advance, July 22, 2004 Urlaub, the Nautical Festival committee chairman, couldn’t have asked for better weather for this year’s events.

There were hours and hours of sunshine, but nobody roasted watching the grand festival parade, which made its way down Third Street Sunday afternoon. There were pleasant conditions for enjoying entertainment in the tent or for throwing a blanket on the ground and watching the spectacular fireworks show. A lake breeze swept in from Lake Huron Sunday afternoon, cooling off the ballplayers who battled all weekend to win the towering championship trophies. And just as if someone had ordered it, the rain started to fall Monday morning at eight o’clock sharp. Urlaub, a longtime festival committee member and the new chairman, got what he hoped for.

“IT SURE WORKED well for us,” Urlaub said late Monday afternoon. “Things went very well.” The fireworks started at 10 p.m. Sunday as scheduled, as opposed to last year when fog settled in along the lakefront, causing a one-week delay. Thousands of locals and visitors cheered wildly at Little League Park, which offered the closest view of the annual presentation, while reports from Lakeside Park were favorable as well. Urlaub said people in the tent went outside to watch the 20-minute show and there were a lot of people on the beach at the park.

Urlaub, who spent a lot of time in the tent during the weekend, said he even got to see the grand finale. “They were very nice fireworks,” he said. There also was a lot of variety. Included in the show was a huge smiley face, which brought a positive reaction from the crowds. The fireworks went high enough that many citizens were able to watch the display from their front porches.

SCHMIDT AM– USEMENTS reported improved attendance from a year ago. Attendance at the tent was down, according to Urlaub, but that seemed to b

e the only low light in an otherwise glowing preliminary report on the 2004 festival. The antique car show had about 100 entries at Westminster Park, while the arts and crafts booths did brisk business all weekend. Third Street was buzzing with activity and people, Urlaub said.

Ted Urban, a newcomer to the festival committee, was in charge of organizing the grand parade and said everything went like clockwork. “It was fun,” he said. Urban gave credit to the committee members for their assistance. “They are a great bunch to work with,” said Urban. Entries were up from 2004, he said.

Urlaub said financial figures may not be available for about a month as unpaid bills come in. A meeting will be conducted at the end of August, Urlaub said, where they’ll discuss the 2004 event and “start over again” in preparation for 2005.