Don’t miss Driver Days

Published 9:47 pm Tuesday, October 17, 2017

With Peanut Fest in the books and the Thanksgiving/Christmas season still on the horizon, it would be tempting to think that Suffolk is in a lull, that there’s not a lot to do as the leaves turn color and the temperatures begin to fall.

But the good folks in Driver are pulling out the stops this weekend to prove that Suffolk is just as exciting in the fall as in any other time of year. Driver Days, the village’s annual celebration of small-town America, is back this year with all the trappings of a Norman Rockwell painting.

There will be a parade, a car show, face-painting, country music and a few things Rockwell couldn’t have imagined.

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Cornhole, for instance. Two tournaments scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will offer a combined purse of $4,000 and are expected to attract 80 of the best players from as far as Maryland, West Virginia and North Carolina, according to organizer Ken Parsons. “This will be one of the best gatherings of competition that this area has had,” Parsons said.

The Sherri Parker Memorial Poker Run and Bike Show on Sunday will offer a parade of motorcycles and noise guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of aficionados young and old.

Knocker Ball is another thing that Rockwell — that famous painter whose depictions of American life became emblematic of a simpler life — could not have foreseen. Imagine a human pinball machine with massive inner tubes for a mental picture of what it’s like.

Of course, a slice of Americana wouldn’t be complete without a parade — Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. and including fire trucks, floats, bands and all the other things kids of all ages enjoy so much. Nor would the event be complete without pet costume contests, great food, vendors, a craft beer garden, pony and train rides and musical entertainment.

Driver Days is one of the events that makes Suffolk so special. Go out and enjoy it.

For more information about Driver Days, visit www.driverevents.com.