Peninsula In Passage

John H. Sheally II

Driver Days As the leaves turn color and pumpkins ripen at the end of October the normally sleepy Driver crossroads awakens to a down home mix of music, food and fun – and thousands of visitors. For over two decades the Driver Days weekend festival has featured country rock bands, craft shows, cake walks, motorcycle and vintage car shows, Wild West gunfighters, Renaissance knights and re-enactors from almost every war the country has fought. The local merchants launched Driver Days in the 1992 to lure families to the crossroads and introduce them to the charm of the village and the variety of goods found in the shops there. A mercantile center for generations, Driver and its merchants were struggling to hold their own against the retail outlets popping up in malls and shopping centers. The festival started small – with local crafters, homemade cakes as the cakewalk prizes and the Driver Volunteer Fire Department serving hamburgers and hotdogs - and crawfish one adventurous year. Shop owner Gregory Parker and his band performed. His older brother, Craig Parker, - also a shop owner – cavorted in a gorilla suit. Ronnie and Jason Gould of Rio Grande Trader sponsored a car show and sold fest T-shirts. Holly Parker Hoffler organized a motorcycle show and ride. Over the years the festival spilled onto yards along Driver Lane and Kings Highway. Funnel cake trucks came in, more vendors and crafters signed up and the crowds grew. People from all over Hampton Roads learned that they could shop for fine antiques and hand crafted furniture to hunting gear, Mexican pottery, and life size metal palm trees. Proceeds from the festival benefit local non-profits including the Driver Volunteer Fire Department. The exposure benefits the local businesses that still struggle for survival as more chain stores open all around the crossroads. Holly Parker Hoffler

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