"It's Your County Fair"

First Weekend of Fall Festival
Offers Wide Variety of
Activities For Everyone

by: Bobby McDonald

Members of the Sheriff's Posse prepare to post the colors and lead the 2005 Fall Festival Parade, Saturday
morning, from Buford Park, where a wide variety of entries assembled.

In what veteran "parade watchers" termed as one of the longest parades that has ever been assembled in Hopkins County, the 2005 Fall Festival Parade "kicked-off" the weeklong schedule of events with horses, antique tractors, Cover Girl floats, and a host of people from the community. The parade began at 10:00 a.m. in Buford Park and wound its way through Sulphur Springs to throngs of people who watched from the street.

The last parade entry made its way to the Lee Street/Broadway intersection by 11:30 a.m., where participants had thrown candy, waved, and yelled to people they knew all along the way.

This cute little girl rode the Sylva Learning Center float and decided to "sample" a little bit of candy before
she threw it all away along the parade route!

While the parade was "winding down," motorcycle riders were already participating in a Poker Run throughout the county, where they were hoping to collect a "full house" to win the event. Parade participants and watchers were able to leave the parade and enjoy a hamburger dinner at concessions provided by the Fall Festival Committee at the Bikers Rally on the grounds of the Civic Center Complex.

Bikers had to make their way back to the Civic Center by 1:45 to complete the Poker Run.

The Biker Rally was held in Memory of Forrest Stewart a local, young paramedic, who died of cancer in 2004. Forrest was a devoted biker fan and served the community through his chosen profession.

Proceeds from this year's rally were donated to the Star Nuckolls Foundation that is designed to aid local families afflicted by cancer, spiritually, physically, and financially. Organizers stated that the foundation will aid in making house payments, paying utility bills, purchasing groceries, and other expenses that are not covered by insurance, during the trauma of the disease. Officials were contacted on Monday and a final tabulation was not available on the amount of money raised.

This is just a portion of the large crowd that assembled at the Civic Center Complex for Saturday's
Biker Rally held in memory of Forrest Stewart.

Lots-a Chrome..........Any type of bike could be found at the Biker Rally on Saturday. Commerce resident, Tyson Clark, picked-out this beauty that he would like to take home with him.

And these two gentlemen had their eyes on a couple of bikes at the rally on Saturday.

Saturday's Fall Festival activities "rounded-out" with a gospel songfest, a bar-b-que dinner, a street dance, and loads of other activities that Hopkins County residents found attractive, despite the intensely hot temperatures that pervaded the area on Saturday. A full slate of activities are planned daily for the entire next week that features "Your County Fair!"

Dana Cleaver, left, chairman of the Duck Race Committee, and Wanda Moore encouraged everyone to
purchase their duck for the Duck Race to be held on Saturday, September 17th, following the Stew Contest.
They "manned" this booth on the site of the Bikers Rally.

 

SEE LOTS MORE PARADE PICTURES ON THE FALL FESTIVAL PARADE PAGE