Danville knows how to celebrate spring’s arrival.

A Festival in the Park takes place in late May‚ and a Pigs in the Park barbecue competition occurs that same weekend at Ballou Park each year.

The original intention of Festival in the Park in 1974 was to celebrate spring’s arrival with a community picnic‚ and today a huge crafts and artist’s show highlights the weekend. Meanwhile‚ the Pigs in the Park barbecue competition features 40 contestants vying for $20‚000 in prize money.