The 34th Annual Oliver Hardy Festival drew a huge crowd as usual, Saturday.
The City of Harlem’s yearly jubilee celebrating its famous native son, Oliver Hardy of the classic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, kicked off shortly after 9 a.m. with the opening ceremony and parade through the city’s downtown.
“We had the booth decoration contest…the costume contest, the parade was longer,” said Harlem Museum director and festival coordinator Meghan Foster about how one of Harlem’s biggest events was a little bigger this year. “It just seems like there’s more activity.”
The fest, held from about 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., usually attracts a wide range of visitors, both in and out of — and far away from — the CSRA, with crowds maintained throughout the day. Foster estimates this year’s festival brought approximately 25,000 to 28,000 attendees to Harlem.
More than 120 vendors participated in the festival, from Willow Lake Soaps to Sticky Fingers Kettle Corn to Siegler’s Karate and the mobile boutique Honeybee’s Shead.
Three food courts, one across from Harlem City Hall, another on Verdery Street and another in the museum’s parking lot, hosted 13 food vendors, such as Applewhite Catering, Good Vibrations and Reggie’s Twisted BBQ.
Alongside the pop-up vendors and food trucks camped along Louisville Street and in front of the Harlem Library, several of Harlem’s downtown storefront businesses took part in the festivities and made use of the boom in foot traffic.
Harlem Java House saw lines of customers, many of whom bought its Oliver Hardy and Harlem-themed merchandise, which included T-shirts and extra-large postcards.
Bubbles or Not Dive Shop had kiosks set up for interested parties to shop for wetsuits or learn about diving classes.
“We’ve had a lot of interest, today,” said Bubbles or Not owner Rose Bennett, noting that a few people had actually expressed interest or signed up for the classes. “We always look forward to the Oliver Hardy festival.”
One of the concluding festivities was the costume contest, which Foster brought back to the festival from a hiatus. The winners were Sharon and Greg Thomas, who traveled from Virginia to join Harlem’s merry remembrance of Laurel and Hardy.
This is the second year the couple has driven eight hours in their RV to appear dressed as the comic pair in Harlem. They began making public appearances at costume parties and other events as Laurel and Hardy three years ago, after Sharon Thomas said they favor the two.
“We started looking at all the movies and we just loved it,” said Greg Thomas, who portrays Oliver Hardy, saying they plan to keep coming back to Harlem every year. “We’ll definitely make this an annual event. This is so much fun!”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
