Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
CHRISTIANSBURG – The Town of Christiansburg celebrated spring this past Saturday, April 20, 2024 with the Third Annual Spring Kickoff Festival at the Christiansburg Recreation Center.
Event Coordinator, Rachel Vinson and 14 other event staff, including Christiansburg Police officers and Parks and Recreation staff, hosted the event that, since its conception, welcomes over 500 residents per year.
This year’s event was jam packed with family fun and games such as Giant Jenga, cornhole, and Connect Four. Residents supported and enjoyed goods from local vendors such as: The Taco Bout, Slinging Weiners and Catering, Squeeze’um & Shake’um and 800 Degrees Woodfire Pizza with their 800° Fuego Truck. This is Squeeze’um & Shake’um’s second year at the Spring Kickoff Festival, owner Samantha aka “Sam” disclosed.
At the 800° Fuego Truck, owner Dan and his family worked hard kneading dough, firing it in their wood burning stove, and boxing it to-go so that residents could still wander and enjoy the festivities. Par Golf had their golf simulator at the festival for residents to practice their best swings.
Local band, Jimothy, fronted by Jim Bohon, provided the festival with an array of music spanning from pop to soul to rock and even covering crowd favorites such as “All the Small Things” by Blink-182. Residents gathered around the bonfire at tables or in lawn chairs to listen and enjoy as the sun set over Christiansburg.
Event Coordinator Rachel Vinson said what makes an event like the Spring Kickoff Festival successful for Christiansburg, is, first and foremost, safety.
“An event can only be considered successful if it was safe,” she said. “An event can only be considered successful if it was safe. Offering events that fill a want and need in the community is what we strive for. Success is often measured by numbers, and rightfully so, but we don’t just look at attendance of an event. We want to ensure event attendees had a great time, that their expectations were met, and vendors were successful. We are always asking ourselves how an event can be improved for next year.”
With the Spring Kickoff being a newer event for the Town of Christiansburg, Vinson said she hopes the event will continue to grow and become an anticipated event for the community. For first time vendors, like Slinging Weiners and Catering, this event boasts an opportunity to participate in community events and build a rapport with local residents. For returning vendors, such as The Taco Bout and the 800° Fuego Truck, this event allows them to reconnect with familiar faces.
Residents enjoyed spending time with friends, family and even their pets.
“The Spring Kickoff Festival is a fun, yet simple event that allows our community to come out grab a bite to eat from a food truck, play some games and sit by a bonfire while listening to a great local band,” Vinson said. “It’s a low-key kickoff to our event season.”
With a season kickoff like this, residents may want to mark their calendars and come out for other events hosted by The Town of Christiansburg, Christiansburg’s Parks and Recreation, as well as their partners.
