Above, Loretta Callen (left) of Winona and Jennifer Peal of Dallas perform during April in Edom. Lauren Alexander (right) sings to audiences during the two-day event. More than 73 spaces were rented to April in Edom vendors and the town’s businesses reported heavy traffic during the two-day event, event Chairman Bobby Hopps said.

“It turned out very good. We did get a little rain on Sunday but other than that, it was very nice. Saturday was our big day, and everyone in the town seemed to do real well.”

Crowd estimates weren’t available Tuesday, but Hopps said 30 to 40 people at a time were visiting Arborcastle Birdhouses, the shop he owns on Farm-to- Market Road 279.

“All of the stores and restaurants said they did very well,” Hopps said. “We sent out a survey to all of the artists and participants, and the responses were positive. We were real happy with that.”

Courtesy Photos Jeff Gottesman, who owns JeffreyLance Photography in Edom, said dozens of people walked through his shop on Saturday as well. His wife, Judy, owns Essential Massage at the same building.

“The real success for us was Judy’s chair massage on the front porch,” he said. “She had someone in the chair almost all day long on Saturday and even with the threat of rain on Sunday, she was busy about half the time. The gallery had a steady stream of people all day long on Saturday.”

Edom’s “old fashioned street fair” last weekend was the town’s fifth. It features vendors who offer retail products such as gourmet jams and jellies, and fashion, and offers a two-day lineup of bands of different genres.

April in Edom started in 2006, joining the Festival of the Arts as the town’s premier annual events. In 2009, April in Edom drew more than 4,000 people despite rain.

In 2008, over 9,000 showed for the two-day event that features a pet parade and contest, children’s activities, and entertainment.

April in Edom differs from the Edom Festival of the Arts in that the October event is a “juried” fair.

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