In Byron, a spring tradition returns to downtown.
The Battle of Byron is back, with some new elements.
Vendors lined Main Street as hundreds of patrons walked by Saturday.
A kids area had plenty of room to jump and play.
The Battle of Byron dates back to 1979.
This year, a Battle of the Bands competition was added.
Organizers say they wanted to bring back the challenges that became a popular tradition of the festival.
Some events, like the tug of war, have been a feature of the Battle of Byron all 36 years.
"Some of those are the ones that actually started in 1979. We had things like a tobacco-spitting contest, frog jumping," says Kristi Watkins, event chairman for the Battle of Byron. "So, this year, we didn't bring those back, but we want to try to get some of the original games back."
Watkins says hopefully next year they can bring back more of the traditional challenges, like the bed races and tricycle races.
