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Poolesville Day, the town's biggest community event, set attendance records Saturday for the third year in a row.

An estimated 10,000-11,000 people attended, up from 8,000-10,000 last year, Poolesville Day Co-Chairman Brice Halbrook said. Several vendors reported having their best years to date, he said, and the two-year-old Falcon Lane, a one-stop-shop for student and school groups, was a hit.

"Overall it was a good day," he said. "We had to chase people out of there when it was time to open the roads."

The future of the annual festival, now in its 19th year, was in jeopardy in 2006 when organizers said that year's event could be the last if more volunteers did not step forward.

Bethesda-based artist Evan Goldman, who had pieces on display at the Historic Medley District's art show in the old Town Hall, set up his easel along Fisher Avenue and spent the day painting the crowd.

"I thought it would be a great opportunity to get out and do some painting," Goldman, 28, said as he picked out figures from the moving crowd. "It's the challenge of trying to capture it."

There was plenty to do throughout the day — attendees sat on bales of hay took in live music, vendors offered everything from handmade scarves to Venus flytraps and families set up Wiffle Ball games in unused fields.

"My favorite thing was petting the llamas," Caitlyn Kelly, 3, of Poolesville said as she glued googly eyes to a paper mask at a craft table for children. "They feel soft."

The event also featured the largest Poolesville Day parade ever and the biggest turnout — about 50 vehicles — for the fourth annual Classic Car, Rod, Truck and Motorcycle Show, Commissioner Jim Brown said. The parade, led by grand marshals Roy and Betty Jean Selby of Selby's Market, was extended from half an hour to 45 minutes, Halbrook said.

"This is a great year. They've added a lot of things, there's a lot more to do," Julie Halstead, 52, of Poolesville said. "The 18 years I've been here, this is the best one."

"There's something for everyone, from parents to teenagers to young kids," her friend Mary Beth Preuss of Poolesville added. "It's not Poolesville without Poolesville Day."