No rain delay for Driver Days

Published 9:13 pm Monday, October 22, 2018

By Alex Perry

The crowd was under umbrellas and the hoods of rain jackets at the intersection of Kings Highway and Driver Lane on Saturday morning. Others sat in their covered lawn chairs. The rain was light but steady, and the cool breeze blew as Lauren Farrar sang the national anthem.

It was overcast and soggy for the opening parade to kick off the 25th year of the Driver Days fall festival, and the drizzle picked up right as the cars, trucks, carts and everything else started making their way down Kings Highway.

“I think they wrote a song one day that said ‘do not rain on my parade,’ but it’s going to rain on it today,” said Diane Parsons, daughter of Joan Parsons Mayo of the Knot Hole Station store in Driver.

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But the wet pavement didn’t stop this year’s exciting procession of participants. The Nansemond River High School marching band played brass and percussion, and young students of World Class Gymnastic front-flipped and twirled forward. Residents of the small Suffolk community applauded as Lions Club members, Scouts and high-kicking children of Master Hwang’s World Class Taekwondo studio passed by.

“No matter what the weather is, you can’t dampen their spirits in Driver,” said the Rev. Tom Potter with Community Chaplain Outreach.

Vendors lining the streets offered keepsakes and refreshments, and hundreds of visitors perused their eclectic options. Festival Chair Terri Johnson said roughly 80 vendors had signed up for this year’s festival, which ran Saturday and Sunday.

Shoppers were inside the Knot Hole Station or in tents looking at Hillbilly Cornhole’s custom-made boards next to the store, where cornhole competitors tossed bags into the afternoon.

Donna Searer and her parents, Alice and Donald Kessler, were visiting from out of town to see her sister that lives in Suffolk. Among all of the vendors, she had her eyes on some of Hi Ho Silver’s wares.

“I know they’re here, and I’ve got to look at their stuff,” Searer said beside one of the classic cars at the 22nd annual Driver Car Show.

More than 20 show vehicles were on display at Berea Christian Church on Driver Lane, ranging from a Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang to a 1939 Chevy Streetrod. Visitors were enjoying the show while they heard Farrar sing “Sweet Home Alabama” with her guitar on stage.

Johnson was pleased with the turnout on Saturday despite the morning showers, which cleared up in the early afternoon.

“With the weather being the way it is, I think it’s great,” she said. “It’s amazing who’s been out here.”

Driver Days was started by the late Craig Parker in 1993 as way to honor his late sister, Sherri, and to support local businesses and organizations. Proceeds from Driver Days go to the Driver Volunteer Fire Department, Suffolk Humane Society and other local charities.

The event draws more than 1,000 visitors each year thanks to its festivities and the small-town charms of Driver itself.

On Sunday, the crowd-favorite Parade of Bikes heralded the return of motorcyclists for the Sherri Parker Memorial Poker Run, many of whom come back to catch up with Sherri’s twin sister, Holly Hoffler. She said she was immensely grateful for the love and support she’s received from her Driver family going back a quarter of a century with this fall festival.

“It’s true friends that you might only see once a year, but rain or shine, they always come and their support has been tremendous,” Hoffler said.

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