Seven young children danced on stage while Utopia Park played in front of the Post Office on Welch Ave. during Summerfest. As the sun set and the sign lights began to line the street, this ended the day on the family and community themes of the Summerfest In Campustown.

Families from around the Campustown area up and down Welch Ave. pushing strollers and holding hands to attend Summerfest In Campustown.

“It [Summerfest] is great for anybody and that’s nice,” participant Jeff Barr said.

“And it’s fun,” Stephanie Lackland said.

Business from the Campustown area and Campustown Action Association came together to host the event. It focused on offering families a chance to experience what Campustown can provide for them.

Booths hosted by various groups from the Ames community provided activities and relief from the event held in the bright and humid weather.

Members of the Golden Wok staff sat up across from there shop where they handed out cups of ice cream garnished with a pirouette cookie next to a treasure dig set up by Campustown Property Management.

The Ames Area Amateur Astronomers hosted a large display featuring various telescopes with filters allowing people attending to gaze at the sun in the Battles BBQ parking lot.

The rest of the lot was lined with a scale model of the solar system at a one inch to 200 mile ratio and booths for participants to learn about astronomy and space craft.

Parents competed against their children in bean bag ticktacktoe hosted by Arcadia Cafe as people stood nearby to grab a glass of lemonade squeezed and mixed by a Battles BBQ staff member in the next booth.

Families worked together pressing buttons at the Memorial Union Workshop stand that they wore throughout the day.

The temperature remained in the high 80’s for the whole event, but the City of Ames Water Department sat up a trailer filled with water to hand to participants next to Ames Fire Department Station Two.

Nearby Lasting Impressions hosted a dunk tank where children laughed loudly with the person in the tank when the plunger was hit while others decorated Rice Krispie treats with white frosting and an array of sprinkles across the street at Fighting Burrito.

“It’s [Summerfest] really neat and larger than last year,” Marna Nelson said while young Ada Nelson added sprinkles to one of the treats.

“It’s good,” Ada said as she finished.

Just south, the Ames Public Library hosted story readings and activities next to a petting zoo put together by The Ark, where rabbits were popular.

The Haila Architecture booth remained busy throughout the early afternoon where children built structures with uncooked spaghetti and jumbo marshmallows.

“What’s your favorite thing so far,” Paul Forristall said.

“The marshmallow tower,” Isaac Forristall said while Haila staff looked over his structure. “The space stuff is my second.”

Live music played throughout the late afternoon and early evening from the stage in front of the Post Office and groups of families could be seen eating food bought from the street vendors that are usually only out after the event officially ended at 9pm.