Entertainers perform for church's Third and High Street Festival

The clacking of tap shoes blended with the 'ahs' of the gathered crowd watching trapeze artists. Shoppers browsed the offerings of local artists and craftsmen while chatting with each other. Children squealed as they were towed by a tractor loaded with hay in front of St. Charles School and Church. The 22nd annual Third and High Festival, held Saturday and Sunday, was the venue for family fun and raising money for a good cause.\nCars lined Third Street, waiting to file into the makeshift parking lot. State police manned the parking as festival-goers hurried out of the lot and into the throng of tents. \nGwen Jones, a Bloomington resident and acting chair of the event, said she was pleased with the attendance. \n"There was a great turnout today," she said. "And I think we have the weather to thank for that. However, the great entertainment we have today helps a lot. Not only do we have the Rise and Shine Dancers, who bring their own following, but we also have the Bloomington High Flyers, the IU Pershing Rifle Group and games for the children. This is a great family event because there is a lot for both the adults and the kids."\nPresiding over the games, Bloomington resident Jeff Baldwin, a teacher at St. Charles, discussed the festival. The activities offered up to entertain the kids ranged from games of chance to a dunk tank manned by the Fraternal Order of Police. \n"All of the games are aimed towards children," he said. "But this year we do have more for the older, middle school kids, like the hockey slap shot and basketball."\nWith her booth set up beyond the children's games, photographer Amy Drake displayed her photographs of small-town Indiana. Depicting everything from pastoral scenes of her cousin's farm to the old courthouses that dot southern Indiana, Drake's photography embodies the feel of small-town Indiana. \n"I take my camera with me when I go out, and I just take the pictures that I see," she said. "It's a weekend hobby for me." \nDrake, a first-time seller at the Third and High Festival, was introduced to the event by a friend whose work was also on sale. A former Bloomington resident, she passed by the fair for years, but attended for the first time this year. \n"This festival is great," she said. "It's so laid back, and so many people are here."\nThe Bloomington High Flyers, a local trapeze group, drew the biggest crowd by far.\n"The trapeze is a big draw to the festival," Baldwin said. "The kids get a chance to participate in the show as well."\nThe physical education teacher at St. Charles, Janet French, is a member of the troupe, and the St. Charles students got a chance to learn the trapeze moves in gym class. Several of the students were given the opportunity to perform during the High Flyer's hour-long performance.\nWhile the festival aims to entertain, its purpose is to raise funds for the church and school, and that effort has been extremely successful in the past. \n"In the past we have raised anywhere from $16,000 to $19,000 from the festival," Baldwin said. \nThe effort of dedicated parents and teachers is what makes the Third and High Festival possible. \n"I was here last night during the setup, and I am always amazed at how the festival always ends up coming together," Baldwin said. "It truly is a collective effort, and it couldn't happen without everyone that helps out."\n-- Contact staff writer Brittany Ausmus at bausmus@indiana.edu.