Photos by Jon Fleming
Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
BLACKSBURG- Blacksburg hosted its 43rd annual Steppin’ Out festival this past weekend and filled the town with music, art and fun.
The event included music from over 25 musical artists, over 200 artists selling anything from baskets to stained glass to paintings, and plenty of food vendors for the hungry music listener. Sponsored by Downtown Blacksburg Inc., local vendors, including downtown businesses in Blacksburg, had a place to sell their products and enjoy the festivities. Local shops were able to host their much-anticipated final clearance sales on the sidewalks of Downtown Blacksburg.
Steppin’ Out was held 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. and, despite on-and-off rainy weather, residents enjoyed musical acts and other performers on three stages: the main stage, the acoustic stage and the community stage. These acts included local favorites The Jared Stout Band and others like The Hot Mamas and Ramona Martinez. Food Vendors included Carly’s Kettle Korn, Ridiculous Chicken, The Cotton Candy Lab and Spoons Shaved Ice. LewisGale Hospital Montgomery had a Hydration Station to help visitors and residents beat the heat.
The event is so large, it takes up the majority of Downtown Blacksburg each year. Due to this, parking is difficult for many. So, there was a shuttle that picked up event goers and dropped them off every 15 minutes.
Another highlight of the festivities was the Draper Mile race. Participants raced downhill in Blacksburg, running as fast as they could. This year’s winner was Pieter Heesters who ran the mile in four minutes and 11 seconds.
