Potomac Day Traditions Will Continue with 29th Annual Celebration
The Potomac Chamber of Commerce is finalizing details on the Potomac Day celebration, which is less than two weeks away.
In a few weeks more than 5,000 people will flood the heart of Potomac for its annual Potomac Day celebration.
Potomac Day brings thousands of people from around the area to Potomac to enjoy a parade, music, games and a car show and this year's event -- which will take place on Oct. 23 -- is no exception.
With less than two weeks before Potomac Day, the event's sponsors at the Potomac Chamber of Commerce are finalizing details on the 29th annual celebration.
"We are very much still in the last-minute planning stages," said Jennifer Matheson, the director of operations for the Potomac Chamber of Commerce. "We are trying to square away details and make sure everything is ready."
This year, the event will follow tradition with a parade beginning at 10:30 a.m. The parade will begin on Chapel Road, head up River Road and end at the Potomac Place Shopping Centers at the intersection of Falls Road and River Road.
A business fair will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Potomac Promenade Shopping Center. Usually the business fair attracts between 50 and 65 local vendors, Matheson said.
For the fourth year, a classic car show will take place during Potomac Day. In the past, between 20 and 30 cars are displayed for people to look at, Matheson said. This year, the car show will take place at the Semmes Building, 10220 River Rd. from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. with an awards ceremony at 2:45 p.m.
Potomac Day will also include pony rides, games, inflatable bouncing structures, climbing wall and the spider climb — a new activity this year which combines climbing and jumping, Matheson said.
Per tradition, the Chamber of Commerce will choose a business of the year, youth citizen of the year and a grand marshal. Although the chamber has not yet chosen a youth citizen or business, it has chosen Elie Cain as the event's grand marshal.
Cain, a volunteer for the Potomac Chamber of Commerce, is being honored for her hard work and dedication in coordinating the parade in the past, Matheson said.
Matheson said the event will likely attract between 5,000 and 7,000 people if the weather is nice.
"It is a very weather-related event and we do everything rain or shine, so it is all up to Mother Nature at this point," Matheson said.
