High praise all around for a fantastic festival

What can we say about this year’s Hamtramck Labor Day Festival?

Fantastic.

Considering the city was almost forced to cancel this year’s festival and the fact that volunteers stepped up to the plate with just nine weeks to prepare, the festival exceeded all expectations.

Festival committee co-chairs Kathleen Bittner and Rachel Karpinski Srodek deserve high praise for pulling this festival together in a way it’s never been done. A big thanks also goes out to the many volunteers who helped make this festival the success it was.

Compared to the Arts, Bets & Eats Festival held in Royal Oak this past weekend, Hamtramck’s modest little festival outshined its rival by far. In Royal Oak, it was shoulder-to-sholulder walking that made the experience unpleasant.

Plus, in Royal Oak, people were gouged $15 to park and $3 to enter the festival grounds. In Hamtramck, it’s totally free.

Next year we should play up the fact that Hamtramck is tons more fun and far easier on the wallet.

The only thing we would change is to go back to starting the festival on Friday since the vendors were all set up anyway. The festival was cut back by one day to save on security costs and other expenses but looking back that doesn’t make much sense.

Regardless, there isn’t really much to improve upon. Hamtramck needs to keep this festival going. It’s heartening to see volunteers who deeply care about the city and its tradition to step forward when they are needed.

Great job.