Mayfest will be Rocking Around the Clock in 2024

Perryville will soon go back in time and have a good time.
The Perryville Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 39th annual Mayfest May 10-11. The theme this year is “Rock Around the Clock,” a 1950’s theme.
The regular Mayfest attractions will return, including the carnival, parade, craft fair, food vendors, special events, car show, the cutest baby contest, the 5K run/walk, and much more.
The event will kick-off with the annual parade on May 10 at 6 p.m. in the Perryville City Park. Float winners will be announced on the Main stage at the Downtown Plaza.
There will be over 160 vendors in this year’s craft fair, which is a record surpassing last year’s total. The craft fair, which will be held May 11 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. had to expand down South Jackson and South Main to accommodate the overflow.
The HIWAY RODDERS Car Club will be hosting their 31st annual car & truck show on Saturday, May 11 at the Knights of Columbus parking lot located at 31 Church Street in Perryville. The show provides an opportunity for car enthusiasts to show off their vehicles while allowing families the chance to check out some pretty cool rides. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and runs until noon. Judging will begin at 11 a.m., and the winners and trophies will be announced after 3 p.m. The entry fee is $20.
The Mayfest will have a new event this year with an Art Show. Perry County Creative Arts (PCCA) aims to inspire, educate, and entertain audiences through the power of the arts. After more than 15-year hiatus, reviving the art show allows artists, at any age, to get their work out of their studio and in front of an audience who can see and appreciate it.
The Mayfest Art Show will be held at the Perryville Senior Center, at 4 North Spring Street (behind what was formally, Friendly Furniture). The1show will have the following categories and each category will have a kids (up to 10), youth (11 – 18), and adult (19+) groups:
Category 1- 2D Art (Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, Photography, and illustration)
Category 2- 3D Art (fiber, ceramics metals, glass, wood, basketry, quilting, jewelry)

Category 3- Graphic Design (Branding, packaging, publication, typography, UX/UI, Posters, Advertising)
Perry County Creative Arts is accepting artwork on May 10th from 3 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Entry fee for this art show is $5.00 per art piece for Annual Supporters or $10.00 for Non-Supporters. Art instructors who teach within Perry County can select 5 pieces created by their students to enter the show at no cost.
Alpha Delta Kappa will host its annual cutest baby contest on May 11.
The baby and his/her parents must be residents of Perry County.
The baby must be less than one year old on March 1. The date of birth must be between March 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024.
This is a $5 entry fee to be submitted with the entry form, along with a photograph. The photo must be 5x7 or smaller.
Entries, photos, and the $5 fee must be received by Thursday, May 9. The first 25 applications will be accepted.
The entertainment for this year will start with “GenX,” a Southeast Missouri band that plays music from the 1970s to 1990s, on May 10 at 7 p.m. Austin Bachmann will play May 11 at 10 a.m. Bachmann was born and raised in Perryville will play covers and originals. Saturday afternoon Umbra will take the stage at 3 p.m.. They are an acoustic duo that plays a mixture of classic rock covers and orginials. Well Hungarians will take the stage Saturday night. They deliver a high octane sound and perform both original shows and full cover material shows spanning a wide variety of musical genres.
T-shirts are on sale at the Chamber office with small and XL sixes are $15 and bigger sizes are $20.
To drink alcoholic beverages, a 2024 Mayfest Cup must be purchased and used.