Spring festival had everyone jammin’

Everyone was jammin’.

The weekend’s Spring Jamboree presented by the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce had people of all ages smiling, dancing, eating, drinking, shopping and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Even the wind didn’t prevent thousands of people from filling the parks and downtown.

There seemed to be something for everyone. Youngsters were able to enjoy the rides and activities in the kids zone and older folks could enjoy looking at rides they once owned displayed at the car show.

(In one area, my husband looked at all the vehicles on display and pointed to each car and said he had once owned the same model.)

Even four-legged friends were able to enjoy and participate in the festivities. The annual Bark in the Park presented by See Spot Run dog park brought out an assortment of dogs. There were several contests for them, such as longest or smallest ears and an owner-pet lookalike.

Several other animals were spotted too, including those that brought oohs, aahs and icks from people watching the “Zoo to You” show presented by Steve and Maria August of reptilerescue.com. I saw one woman move away from the stage and the Augusts’ 16-foot albino Burmese python so fast she could have set a new record for the 100-yard dash and hurdles at the same time.

That wasn’t part of the scheduled entertainment, but it was fun to watch. Although I have to admit, I watched the snake activities from a very safe distance.

Everywhere there were smiles and people having a good time. Stopping by the various booths, informational as well as those of vendors, offered ample opportunity to experience something special. I enjoyed chatting with rockhounds, purveyors of fine jewels, local volunteers and expert artisans.

Jill Rowland-Lagan, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said she and her team of event organizers worked with those who live near the park to move the kid zone to Utah Street, which allowed them to have space for more vendors, as well as ensure they were “good neighbors.”

Although this was my first Spring Jamboree, it certainly won’t be my last.

To me, this is what being a part of Boulder City is all about — people coming together and having a good time. And while there were plenty of activities to enjoy, there also was an opportunity to do nothing — or next to nothing.

Numerous people brought chairs and blankets, or used the benches in the parks, to relax, enjoy good conversations with friends and family and watch the entertainers in the gazebo in Bicentennial Park. What a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday or both.

I know none of this would have been possible without all the hard work and dedication of the volunteers who coordinated and worked at the Spring Jam. To them, I say thank you. Your efforts did not go unnoticed.

I also want to thank the people who stopped by and visited the Boulder City Review booth. It was nice to say “Hello” and meet some local residents. Hopefully, next year, more people will come to visit.

Then we can really jam.