Slow down and stay awhile: Epworth Park prepares for annual homecoming
BETHESDA -- The 36th annual Chautauqua Homecoming Days and Bethesda Festival is slated to take place this weekend at Epworth Park.
The annual event is a chance for cottage owners, past and present, to come together and enjoy each other's company.
The festivities will take place all day Saturday and Sunday at 215 N. Main St.
"It's a chance for the public to come and view the Victorian cottages, some of which are 150 years old," Epworth Park Cottage Owners Association Board of Directors President Windell Goff said. "It has a beautiful lake, we have the Garden of the Oaks here with oak trees, some of them are over 300 years old."
He added that the festival will feature more than 25 vendors with a little bit of something for everyone.
"They'll have everything from vegetables to baked goods, antiques and crafts. We have a concession stand that will be open," Goff said. "It's just a nice festival for everyone in the area to come to and everything's free. There will also be activities for the kids on the hill."
The festival also will feature a fishing tournament, live music, food vendors, a car show and various vendors.
Goff said the festival's name comes from the Chautauqua movement, a Methodist movement that began in the 1800s.
The park originally was a Methodist church campground but is now privately owned. He said the movement began in Chautauqua, New York, which is where the name originated.
"The cottages are all privately owned but we open the park to the public for anybody because we have people who walk their dogs and just come and enjoy the park and the lake, and it's just a place where people can retreat to," Goff said. "People can come and enjoy everybody's company and everything moves kind of at a slower pace here. It's just a nice getaway."
He added that he invites residents to take a stroll down memory lane and relive the feelings of days gone by at historic Epworth Park.
"It's just a big, fun weekend. Everybody will be exhausted by the end of the weekend, but it's just an enjoyable time for people to come out and see the park and have fun," Goff said. "It's just a calm, relaxing place, and we have all of these beautiful cottages that you can walk past and everybody's just extremely friendly. It's just a beautiful place. Squirrels and birds are everywhere here, and it's just such a nice, calm place to come and take a stroll."
Goff added that he has been coming to the park for the past 18 years and loves the community it has fostered during his time there.