Children clamored for that one last ride, vendors continued to sell food at a rapid pace, and entertainers belted out one tune after the other.

After torrid thunderstorms mixed with bouts of lightning marred the 25th annual Palmerton Community Festival Saturday evening, festivalgoers hit the event hot and heavy on its final day.The three-day event culminated Sunday after it was extended by an hour to help make up for the rainout Saturday night, according to event Chairwoman Susie Arner."Saturday was doing great, but Mother Nature wasn't as cooperative," Arner said. "We lost about four hours, from about 7-11.""We tried to stay open, but for safety reasons, with the lightning, we thought it best to close. The Mahoney Brothers will be back next year; a lot of people were disappointed because they didn't get to play, because they're one of their favorite bands."The annual duck race was a near-complete sell out on Sunday, said Arner, who noted the proceeds from the event will be split between the festival and the Palmerton Halloween Parade.Visitors came out in droves to hear the entertainment, which consisted of the Pennsylvania Villagers, Crazy Hearts, and Twitty Fever.There was also a ride special, something Zain Kresge, 4, of Lehighton, enjoyed.Zain's mother, Michele Kresge, of Lehighton, said her family makes it a point to attend the festival each year."It's a great time, (today's) a beautiful day," Michele said. "Zain loves to go on the rides."Diane Serfass, of Palmerton, echoed her daughter's sentiment."You meet a lot of friends," Serfass said. "And there's good food."Such as the ice cream and waffles stand courtesy of the Palmerton Area Lions Club.Brothers Chase Reph, 9, and Brady Reph, 6, of Bowmanstown, were among those to delve into the delightful treat.The siblings were accompanied by their parents, Gary and Justina Reph.Arner said several products, such as strawberry shortcake from the Palmerton Hospital Auxiliary, as well as the homemade pierogies from the Palmerton VFW, sold out early."Attendance was great as usual," she said. "It was very good all three days."Saturday featured a scavenger hunt, as well as a contest based on the theme of 25 Years of Fun at the Palmerton Community Festival.Lenny & the Loafers, the Palmerton Community Band, Jeremiah James and Ivory Blu rounded out that day's entertainment. There was also a ride special.Throughout the weekend, there were "25 Years of Fun at the Festival" activities, which included 25-cent birch beer.There were also various food vendors, rides, handmade crafts, demonstrations, games and a Chinese auction as well.