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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Food vendors, rides, games and, of course, people filled Kirby Park on Saturday for the city&#8217;s annual Cherry Blossom Festival.</p><p>Not to disappoint there were also plenty of the cherry blossoms despite a bit of chill in the air.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s always a fun day,&#8221; Kim Visconti said, noting the weather. &#8220;Last year it rained, they got lucky this year.&#8221;</p><p>The festival continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.</p><p>Visconti used the festival as an excuse to enjoy her &#8220;guilty pleasure,&#8221; potato pancakes.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not something we eat regularly,&#8221; Kim said as she watched her daughter, Alexa, get on the chair-swing ride.</p><p>Alexa&#8217;s favorite food at the festival?</p><p>&#8220;(She) lives for kettle corn,&#8221; Kim said.</p><p>Food vendors at the event include Notis&#8217;, the Gyro King, Manning&#8217;s Dairy and Sweet Lush Cupcakes.</p><p>The chair swing was one of about 10 rides set up by Otto&#8217;s Amusements.</p><p>When Alexa got off the ride, she was a bit dizzy, but that didn&#8217;t stop her enthusiasm.</p><p>&#8220;Pray for me,&#8221; the 15-year-old said as she made her way to other rides. &#8220;I know I&#8217;m going on the Scrambler, but I don&#8217;t know about those (Salt-and-Pepper Shakers).&#8221;</p><p>About 100 people took some time to watch different dance troupes in the Martz Amphitheatre.</p><p>&#8220;I like watching them dance,&#8221; Dan Pollack said about his favorite part of the day.</p><p>Fusia Dance Center, from Stroudsburg, was one of many groups enjoying their moment in the sun.</p><p>Riley Horstman, 10, and Daniella Molina, 11, of the dance center were getting their photos taken by Kate Horstman on the grass after their jazz dance performance to &#8220;River Deep, Mountain High.&#8221;</p><p>Kate said it&#8217;s the seventh year the dancers from Fusia have been making the hour drive to dance at the festival.</p><p>&#8220;I like being on stage,&#8221; Molina said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just doing what I love to do,&#8221; Lia Pelaez, 10, said. &#8220;It builds confidence.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Two-year-old Lila Carson, of Plymouth, holds on tight during the Dragon&#8217;s Lair ride at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Two-year-old Lila Carson, of Plymouth, holds on tight during the Dragon&#8217;s Lair ride at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Alexandria Adams, 6, of Hanover Township, fishes for a prize at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival3-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Alexandria Adams, 6, of Hanover Township, fishes for a prize at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dennis Beach carves a log into a bear in the back of his truck at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival4-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Dennis Beach carves a log into a bear in the back of his truck at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Children bounce around at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival5-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Children bounce around at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Conservatory of Dance performs for the crowd on the first day of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042416festival1-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>The Conservatory of Dance performs for the crowd on the first day of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Kirby Park on Saturday afternoon. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table style="border:none;width:98%;" class="mceItemTable"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;"> -BUqjr49FPw&amp;feature=youtu.be</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;"> YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BUqjr49FPw&amp;feature=youtu.be</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> &lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/-BUqjr49FPw&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"> Dancers at the Cherry Blossom Festival</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;"> Sean McKeag</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

The annual Cherry Blossom Festival brings dancing, rides and food to Kirby Park