The May Days Festival opens tonight in downtown Clinton and the excitement it brings to some of the youth of the community is why Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers annually looks forward to this event.
Chief Lowers says the May Days Festival may not be something the whole community looks forward to and some may even grumble about it but he reminds that this is - for some - as close to a 'Disney World experience' as they'll get.
While there have been few issues with May Days in the past, the Chief says they will continue to have a presence at the annual festival just because crowds at a festival like May Days can offer challenges.
Chief Lowers encourages attendees to leave their dogs and bikes or skateboards at home for the May Days Festival. He says with large crowds both of those can become a liability in the blink of an eye.
When law enforcement is summoned at May Days, Chief Lowers says it is often just minor complaints and credits those that attend the May Days Festival for largely being a good crowd that is just out for the fun of the carnival and entertainment.
The May Days Festival is tonight through Sunday in downtown Clinton. Get more information by finding the Clinton Chamber of Commerce on Facebook or visiting clintonilchamber.com.