Andrew Bak said when he drove out from Ladner to attend the 91原创 root beer festival last year, it seemed a little disorganized.
At one point, the line-up for root beer tasting tickets stretched all the way down the one-way, around the 204 Street intersection past 91原创 City Hall.
Traffic on Fraser Highway leading to the one-way was backed up as far as 200 Street for a while
鈥淭hey were victims of their own success,鈥� Bak observed.
This year, the event moved from the one-way to Douglas Park, where there was a lot more room.
Enough for people to queue up and taste dozens of root beers with colourful names like 鈥淒ad Gum It Butterscotch,鈥� 鈥淛ackson Hole Buckin鈥� and 鈥淜iss Army.鈥�
The last is meant for fans of the rock group, and was described as 鈥渄ark with a lot of licorice flavour鈥� in the tasting guide issued with tickets to try 50 different varieties.
Bak, who took his son Michael with him this year, was happy with the new venue.
鈥淭his is so much better organized than last year,鈥� he said, as father and son stood in one of many long lines for the one-ounce samples.
Organizer Sherry Martin, who operates Sticky鈥檚 Candy on the one-way strip in downtown 91原创 City with her brother, Kelly Bouchard, estimated the turnout was close to 4,000, up from 3,000 the previous year when attendance suddenly surged.
Over four years she has seen the event grow from a few sidewalk tables outside her store to the current incarnation that occupied most of the open space in the park for four hours on Saturday.
READ MORE: Long lineups at root beer festival in 91原创 City
Martin estimated the turnout this year was close to 3,000 people, up from the 3,000 that ground traffic to a halt and clogged the sidewalks last year on the one-way.
Sandra Reams, the caretaker of the nearby historic Michaud house, was not about to miss the event.
Reams said she has developed a habit of walking over for a root bear float at the store on the one-way.
鈥淚 always treat myself when I鈥檓 downtown,鈥� she said, sipping a sample with one hand while cradling a picturesque pink flamingo-handled umbrella with the other.
More photos from the day can be viewed .
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Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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