Festival winds down with Grand Finale for the family

All good things must come to an end, and the Cherry Blossom Festival will conclude with Sunday’s Grand Finale on the great lawn at Wesleyan College. The free event features fireworks, food, music and a whole lot of fun for all ages.

The afternoon’s festivities will begin at 4 p.m. Pizza and snow cone vendors will be set up on site and a Kids Zone area will be available. Kathy’s Rock will be providing games, inflatables and a rock climbing wall for children ages 2 to 13.

A grand finale of fireworks is scheduled to start at dusk, about 8 p.m., according to a statement by festival board chair Stacy Ingram.

Although admission to the event is free, some kids activities cost extra. Tethered, hot air balloon rides will be available for $10 per person. However, there will be age and weight restrictions set by each pilot.

The headliner band, Mother’s Finest, will be taking the stage at 6:30 p.m., according to Ingram. The festival’s website says the band is “one of the funkiest, most creative, rockin’ in your face, good time bands that ever graced this planet.” Some of their classic hits include “Baby Love” and “Mickey’s Monkey.” They are touring the world full-time and their performances are “an energetic event with an incredible sound track, not to be missed, and not soon forgotten.”

Vintage Vixens also will be performing. According to the festival website, this all-female band plays music from the 1960s and ‘70s, including hits from the Mamas & the Papas, the Turtles, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Drifters, Nancy Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, the Byrds, Young Rascals, the Kinks and CCR.

Because there will be limited food vendors on site, folks are encouraged to bring coolers for snacks and soft drinks.

And because parking is limited on campus, Ingram wrote that festival-goers should take advantage of the free park and ride shuttles.

The free shuttles will run every 15 minutes, from 3-9 p.m.

Park and ride locations are Northway Church, 5915 Zebulon Road; Tattnall Square Baptist Church, 4925 Zebulon Road; Museum of Arts & Sciences, 4182 Forsyth Road; and Kroger, 4650 Forsyth Road.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 8:52 AM with the headline "Festival winds down with Grand Finale for the family."