Austinites looking for another excuse to party found a good one Monday at the fifth annual Riverfest, which attracted thousands of young and old alike. The credit for youngest in attendance probably goes to 7-week-old Cherie Ann Hardy of Austin. No one was willing to take credit for being the oldest. “She enjoys the music,” said mom Gail Hardy as her husband, Tony, tried to cool off the infant whose hair was plastered to her head with sweat.

Keeping cool was almost as important to the other estimated 10,000 music aficionados who gathered at Auditorium Shores to listen to the LeRoi Brothers; Bill Carter and the Blame; Nick Lowe; Bonnie Raitt; Omar and the Howlers; Gregg Allman; Robert Cray; and the headliner, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Not all the celebrities were performing. Actress Margot Kidder and Dennis Quaid, who has been filming D.O.A. around Central Texas, were seen hanging around backsatage. The music seemed to be incidental at times as the audience kept itself entertained by tossing footballs, Frisbees and Hackey Sacks and cooled off either by eliminating a lot of clothing or by consuming large quantities of refreshments.

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Many seemed to opt for both. One beer distributor estimated about 3,600 cases of the brew would be consumed by the end of the day. It was kept cold by 1,200 bags of ice, each weighing about 40 pounds. Television camera crews posed themselves strategically in front of scantily clad bodies in quest of the per- Kent ‘Omar’ Dykes works up to a howl for a crowd estimated at 10,000 at Monday’s Riverfest. Staff photo by Zach Ryall fect tan and there were cameras aplenty.

Charles Comer, publicist for the Thunderbirds, said coverage was provided by MTV; Video Hits; Much Music out of Canada; Fox TV of Canada; the local ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates; and crews from Sweden and Norway. Not everyone was thrilled to be at the Riverfest. Kimber Avery of Austin: was upset at not being allowed to bring a cooler filled with food and refreshment onto the grounds after paying $13 for tickets. She and a group of friends set up camp just outside the entrance to consume their sandwiches and drinks. “The prices are ridiculous,” she said as she sat near the curb of the street.

“Can you imagine $2 for a beer?” Some didn’t even bother trying to get in. Blankets dotted the slopes around Palmer Auditorium as those who wanted to listen to music without paying set up camp. Others decided renting canoes and hanging around the banks of the river was preferable, although it meant getting a rear view of the action on stage.