Spring Fest brigthens downtown

Only the wind gusts detracted from what would have been a perfect day for the Comanche Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Spring Festival held downtown on Saturday. It was paired with an equally successful Noah Presgrove Memorial Car Show.

Approximately two dozen vendors were on hand selling a large variety of goods to interested attendees.

“I thought we had a really good turnout and everything went smoothly,” said Laura Lewis, chamber president. “I feel like we had a good committee that planned it out, and we were able to provide the community with something to do on an extremely windy Saturday. The Kids’ Car Show, which was a cute little add-in and the booster clubs that set up did well also. That’s important to me and to the community. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the vendors and they said that they can’t wait for the next one.”

That is an idea that Lewis hopes will follow through.

“We’re hoping to do this every year,” Lewis said.

The memorial car show was well-attended and the family of Noah Presgrove was overjoyed with the support.

“I feel that this car show did amazing,” said Robyn Smith, Noah Presgrove’s aunt. “I wasn’t expecting this large of a turnout. We had 44 cars, plus we had eight kids’ cars - well, seven and a bulldog - but it was amazing and we appreciate it.”

Presgrove’s body was found alongside Highway 81 in Jefferson County on Sept. 4, 2023. The 19-year-old’s cause of death and the circumstances of the previous fateful night are still a mystery that the family diligently continues to seek answers to.

Proceeds from the car show will benefit the Noah Presgrove Scholarship Fund. Smith did not have the final numbers on Saturday, but she estimated the car show raised $8,500 for the scholarship.

“We’re just so appreciative of our community and the people that came from far away just to support us and to help in our quest, so thank you guys,” Smith said. “We’ve gotten so much support in this endeavor and the fact it still touches people’s hearts and they feel compelled to come out and just be there is amazing.”