The Little Smilin’ Choo Choo chugged through downtown Dexter with cars full of adults and children pointing and smiling at the stream of people browsing through an array of craft and community booths that have filled Monument Park for Dexter Daze.

Elaina Palmer of Dexter, 3, said that was her favorite part of the annual festival that takes place downtown.

When asked if this was the first time she’d been on a train, she said, “When I was little, I rode on a train for the first time.”

Visitors can take a ride on the brightly colored train for a dollar until 7 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.

Vickie Trull of Munith said she’d been visiting the two-day event for years. “I have to buy something from this booth,” she said of Tapestry Arabian Farm of Eaton Rapids.

Michelle Kowalski, the owner, said she’d been setting up a booth at the Dexter event for six years.

“It’s very friendly, home-townie and I like the entertainment and the people love my stuff,” she said.

Friends Alice Montibeller, 13, and Courtney Whitlock, 13, both of Dexter, said they got matching dragons on their legs because they though “they’d be cool.”

They said they like to go to Dexter Daze “to hang out and see friends'' before school starts.

Melissa Wilson of Ann Arbor said she brought her daughter, Lainey, 2, to Dexter Daze because “we love Dexter.”

Dexter Daze began as a sidewalk sale 39 years ago, and today, it’s run as an independent festival by the Dexter Daze Committee under the umbrella of the Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce, said Karen Bentley, the event organizer.

“So far, so good,” she said at lunchtime Friday. “We’ve had a good steady crowd and no complaints.”

Bentley said it costs about $20,000-$25,000 to put on the event, and this year sponsorship was up, she said. Any proceeds are given back to the community.

Last year, the committee gave a donation to Gordon Hall, helped fund a memorial for Ron

Meyer, who was involved in the event for many years, and contributed to the downtown summer concert series.

Martha Munson of Dexter brought Quinn, 15 months, to his second Dexter Daze, where they were sitting watching a magician perform in the gazebo.

“It’s fun for the kids,” she said, adding he also had a 5 year old. “Dexter Daze, it’s so small-town, we love it.”

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Dexter stories, visit our Dexter page.