Traffic expected to be heavy for Saturday's Mayfest event

Traffic will pack the west end of Washington Saturday afternoon as thousands of young adults arrive for the annual Mayfest event.

"This year, it's going to be huge," organizer Sheila Hill said. "There'll be a car show, a motorcycle and ATV show We've got 25 music groups, dance groups, and step groups coming, and they're coming from as far as Macon and Milledgeville."

Mayfest runs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., she said, with an after-party starting at 10.

There will be events for children and youth earlier in the day, Hill said, but the focus of Mayfest is on adults.

The event brings thousands of young adults from surrounding communities to the Whitehall area of Washington. Mayor Willie Burns has said that the event is an important part of the economic self-determination of the black community, and deserves the city's support.

Washington City Councilman Rev. G.L. Avery has spoken of the concerns of many of his older constituents, who, he said, are "afraid to come out of their homes" when the Mayfest crowds filter down the side streets off Whitehall Street.

As they have in years past, the Washington Police Department, in conjunction with Wilkes Co. deputies and Georgia State Patrol troopers, will be on hand to deal with the crowds of vehicles and pedestrians expected to fill the area.

In years past, law enforcement has set up road checks on the roads leading to Washington to ensure the safety of participants.

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