Mary Meaux
The Port Arthur News
NEDERLAND — Christine Puente knows where her family will spend Spring Break — at the Nederland Heritage Festival.
The Groves mom, along with daughters Bella , 8 months, and Naomi, 7, roamed the grounds along Boston Avenue looking for amusement rides for Naomi.
“It’s our first day out,” Christine Puente said. “We tried to come out yesterday but it was too sloshy. We’ll be here every day during Spring Break.”
Last year’s Festival was cut short due to bad weather, something Puente remembers well.
“We got out of the car, then back in,” she said.
Further down the midway Justice Ray, 7, of Nederland, used brute strength to smash a hammer down on the Hi Striker game. A row of lights crawled up the nearby pole with every blow of the hammer.
His mother, Nadia Davis, said her family plans to come out to the Festival every night, with plans on arriving early so Justice won’t have to stand in line for very long for the rides.
Davis is a proud military mom, she said. Her older son, U.S. Marine Corps Corp. Sheridan Davis is currently stationed in Afghanistan and will move on to Japan later this month. Then, in July, Sheridan will return to the States.
“We’ve missed three Christmases,” she said. “And his 21st birthday.”
Over at the more fast paced amusement rides Rhonda Cloyd, of Nederland, watched her older son as he moved through the air on Pharaoh’s Fury.
“We come out every year,” Cloyd said while standing next to her mother, and two younger children. “We come out for the rides for the kids, we have passes. We even eat at home so it’s not as expensive.”
Thursday’s schedule:
• Carnival hours — 4 to 11 p.m. Special armband day $20. Armbands will not be sold after 8:30 p.m.
• Nederland Heritage Festival’s famous “Cuisine” Walk — 4 to 11 p.m.
• Marsha’s Petting Zoo — 4 to 11 p.m.
• Entertainer — Curtis Breaux and The Cadillac’s — 7 to 10 p.m.
mmeaux@panews.com
