Scenes from Festival in the Park: Saturday

The 1964 and 1969 Clarion Class reunions have strong showing on their parade floats, with’64’s Homecoming Queen appearing on Gazebo Park’s stage later in the afternoon. “The Heartland Museum is alive,” insists another float displaying a new acquisition – an 1880s-era hearse – with a ‘grieving widow’ in drag marching alongside. The Clarion Theater passed out popcorn. A donkey waved from atop the Hagie sprayer. The Hanson family of Kanawha unicycled their way through downtown. Even Dan the Can Man joined in pushing his new cart. Local Democratic candidate for state office Nancy Paule Huisinga marched. Jimmie Johnson celebrated by throwing Tootsie Rolls to/at the parade.

New shirts with the chain-link “Clarion-Goldfield-Dows” logo are seen publicly for the first time en masse. The parade route winds through the residential areas and into the city center, concluding with participants flowing into Gazebo Park and the downtown. The parade’s tractors park in their designated spots. The town proceeds to eat a variety of burgers, tacos, and funnel cakes.?

In the June 19 issue of the Monitor: see a page and a half of photos, and read more about what happened at Festival in the Park Saturday, as well as Thursday, Friday, and Sunday!