EASLEY — Although the weather the last few months has been dreary, Sunday will finally mark the official beginning of spring.

The city of Easley will welcome in the season with its eighth annual Spring Fling on Saturday, April 9.
“This winter has been the coldest I can remember, said Scott Buckhiester, chairman of the Spring Fling committee for the Easley Downtown Business Association. “December and January were just frigid, and although February was much warmer it seemed to be raining or very windy all the time.”

Buckhiester said the weather has made this year’s spring even more anticipated than usual.
“That makes it even better this year, to put all that mess behind us and welcome in spring, and there’s no better way to do that than the annual Spring Fling festival in downtown Easley,” he said.

The Spring Fling is a street festival put on each year by the Easley Downtown Business Association to promote tourism and economic development in the downtown area.
This year’s event will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in downtown Easley.

“This year we are planning for Spring Fling to be bigger and better than ever with entertainment and fun for all ages,” Buckhiester said. “But this, and all great festivals, is all about the vendors. We will have food vendors with goodies that you can’t even dream of, crafts of every shape, color and size and artist of every kind.

“Please plan to come and spend the day with us, shop, eat, visit the downtown merchants, and before the afternoon is over, Jack Roper and his Weather Man Band are going to have you dancing.”
Again this year, the Pickens YMCA is going to be a huge part of the festival. The day will start with a 5k run through the streets of Easley, followed closely by a half metric and a full metric bicycle tour that will pass through the shadow of Table Rock and end in the very center of the Spring Fling festival.

“There has been a lot of positive changes made to the downtown area and a lot more happening now,” Buckhiester said. “Come see what’s going on and enjoy the day with us. You won’t be sorry.”