By Jessica Moore

Staff Writer

The Goats, Music, and More Festival this year was a major success.

"How proud Lewisburg ought to be for this year's success of Goats, Music and More," exclaimed Mayor Jim Bingham Monday evening. "We can hold our head high for what happened this weekend."

There were many different vendors, each offering something unique. The food was great and the freshly squeezed lemonade was even better. This year's festival was a blast for everyone. It had plenty of shopping for the adults and plenty of entertainment for the children. There was a huge bouncy slide that almost always had a line. There were swings, a mini pirate ship, pony rides, and even a mechanical bull.

Many people who attended the festival also brought their pets. A passerby could see anything from a miniature Chihuahua, to a Great Pyrenees. The most unusual pet spotted at this years Goats, Music, and More Festival was most definitely someone's pet snake. This snake was so large people were jumping out of the way to avoid being near it. Some thought it was neat, while others were just shocked; a large number of guests though were outright terrified.

The emergency personnel did a fabulous job of making their presence known. At every turn a police officer was within view directing traffic, answering questions, giving directions, keeping order, or just keeping a watchful eye. There were also members of the Emergency Medical Service and Fire Department there, with ambulances and fire trucks stationed strategically throughout the festival and an EMS station located directly in the middle.

Friday night had a wonderful turn out. It was certainly more comfortable than Saturday night. Musical entertainment was provided both during the day and that evening. A local act known as The Cali Ann Band started the night off with a variety of catchy tunes. The Entice Band from Nashville ended the evening with songs from across the board, playing Motown hits, dance numbers from the '80s, and even disco. They definitely had the audience going. People couldn't help but to get up and dance. They even had a dance contest. When asked what song was her favorite, Lisa Brown replied, "'My Girl,' because he dedicated it to his mom."

Saturday evening had wonderful entertainment as well. The Shelby Lee Lowe band opened for one of the biggest names ever to play at the Goats, Music, and More Festival, The Charlie Daniels Band. A few people were lucky enough to have a meet and greet backstage before the show. They lined up outside the tour bus and just a few at a time got to go in and meet Charlie Daniels and the band. He was very friendly, and laughingly answered questions, took photographs with fans, and even signed autographs.

"If you could perform with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?" he was asked. Without hesitation, Daniels replied, "BB King."

The winner of the guitar signed by Charlie Daniels was Jamie Wright.

The Charlie Daniels Band opened to an eager crowd. People had been setting up their chairs since Thursday morning just to ensure a close enough spot. The crowd was so tight the arms of chairs were overlapping. Charlie Daniels himself had to have worn out some fiddles as fast as he played. The guitar player and the drummer both had amazing solos, the drummer's solo lasting every bit of 10 minutes. They ended the show with one of their most popular hits known by music lovers of all ages, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." The Charlie Daniels Band came in with a bang, and went out with an even bigger bang! Goats, Music, and More Festival Co-Chair Pam Davis estimated the crowd at easily 20,000 guests. She wasn't alone in that estimate, several officials gave the same number. Needless to say, they were thrilled with the turnout.