Revelers descend on Wilmington for Riverfest

On the north end of Wilmington’s Riverwalk, a beach breeze blew and brought bikinis, wakeboarders and a laid-back mood to Riverfest on Saturday.

A friendly Rottweiller hung out on the docks with wakeboarders awaiting their turn to take on the river, and ran from side to side following the stunts of a competitor already being pulled by a boat. The competitor – one of about 80 in the Riverfest event of the multistate Carolina Wake Series – jumped and flipped in the air in a liquid white haze.

A DJ played a mixture of hip-hop, techno and Spanish music, as tanned college-age people cheered on the wakeboarders, sipped on beers and lounged under a tent.

“Each year this contest brings in more spectators,” said professional division competitor Fabian Ashley, a senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and president of the Collegiate Wakeboard Association.

But the flow of people at Riverfest was thicker – and the path more cramped – as you walked south along Water Street. Lined by a multitude of vendors selling everything from psychedelic shirts to lemonade, the riverside street became an open market with the kind of buzz seen in big cities.

The young Hammond family navigated the crowd with two tots and a stroller. Rori Hammond, 2, sporting pink tresses, a pink shirt and pink paint on her face from one of the booths, had tap-danced earlier at the festival, her parents said.

“I’ve seen a lot of friends and neighbors,” said Rori’s father, Ross Hammond. “It’s a good time for everyone to get together, and they cater to kids a lot.”

The crowd grew silent and still around the Shadow Players, performing as pirates. As for the popular pirate-themed flotilla, it’s missing this year, because the city told the Wilmington Harbor Enhancement Trust the docks would not be ready in time for the 15 boats that signed up, said WHET board member Alan Smith.

But the show went on at Riverfest on Saturday, and you could see some boats along the docks with pirate figures hanging from the sides, and people going in and out of the U.S.S. Squall, a Navy warship. And if you looked closely enough, you could see the smiles on the faces of Joyce Gregory and Lessie Mae Morgan, best friends for some 50 years, as they soaked up the live music and procession of people from their lawnchairs by the river.

“I love the festival, I love watching the people walking the streets with their babies,” Gregory said. “I like the riverfront, too. I think it’s unique and old-fashioned-looking.”

The 30th annual Riverfest continues from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.