On Saturday morning, hundreds of people began turning out to the Westfort Street Fair along Frederica Street, and by early afternoon, those numbers turned into thousands.
“It’s been a very chaotic day,” said Aaron Gillingham, the Westfort Business Improvement Area chairman and owner of The Sal and East Coast Lobster.
“We’re seeing thousands of people walk up and down Frederica, and it’s always a special time to see this many people in Westfort.”
He added that there were “hundreds” lining up throughout the day at The Sal booth for french fries.
“I would say there’s probably, at 2:30 p.m., there are upwards of 5,000 people here. It’s unusually busy right now,” he said, attributing the influx of the crowd in Thunder Bay arriving later in the day to a rain threat in the morning.
Gillingham said there is substantial planning from the Westfort business community to host the annual event.
“We circle this date on our calendars because it’s the busiest day of the year, and if you look around, there’s a lineup at every single tent and every single booth.”
Up the street at Westfort Foods, co-owner Jeff Van Dyk estimated 8,000 people passed through the business district on Saturday. The food store was the site of the children’s area that hosted activities and a large jumping castle.
“It was our busiest year yet,” Van Dyk said. “We had 25 more vendors than last year, which draws out more people to the fair.”
Westfort Foods sold gourmet hotdogs complete with a variety of chili sauce, cheese sauces and other toppings.
“We hosted six contestants in the hotdog eating competition and for every hotdog eaten, we donated $50 to Our Kids Count,” he said, adding, the Westfort mascot Yeti took to the stage to rile up the crowd for a dance session, earning a bonus in cash from Westford Foods.
By the end of the day, the food store donated $5,000 to Our Kids Count.
