News From the Harvest Festival
Thousands pack Front Street for annual parade
Posted on 09-21-2009
A PARADE FAVORITE - From left, Reyna, 3, and Aaliyah Kirick, 8, of Mifflinburg, and Kaylee Frits, 7, of Sunbury, reach for candy thrown their way by one of the parade participants Saturday in Milton. These girls and thousands of others turned out to see the annual parade, the largest single event of the Milton Harvest Festival. Photo by Jeff Shaffer/Standard Journal.
By the Standard Journal - Used with permission.
Published: Monday, September 21, 2009
MILTON - A splendid weekend culminated another year of the Milton Harvest Festival.
As the theme suggests, there was "A Hometown Harvest." The large community event that draws thousands of people to Milton's downtown did not disappoint and pleasant, near fall-like weather only added to the annual celebration.
A visit to Milton on Saturday meant having the freedom to walk the streets in the area of Broadway and Bound Avenue, to check out a lot of interesting crafts, grab a warm bite to eat and support a number of local organizations. There was a morning 5K race, a new fundraising rubber-duck derby in the afternoon and the Tournament of Bands, which took place later at Milton High’s Alumni Field.
The early afternoon was reserved for the largest festival event of them all — the Harvest Festival Parade.
Seats and blankets lined Front Street well before the parade began, and by the time it started there were only pockets of standing room along the sidewalks. Whether first-timers or long-timers, everyone clapped and cheered as bands, princesses and candidates, fire trucks and classic cars, local organizations and businesses and many creative floats made the way through town. Several children were seen eagerly waiting to snatch candy thrown in their direction by the parade participants. A local church even offered free bottled water to those lining the parade route, a welcomed refreshment for those sitting in the warm sun.
It’s a tough job, but the judges at the review stand once again made determinations on their parade favorites. Awards were handed out at festival headquarters, the YMCA, a couple of hours afterward.
The Danville Apostolic Church claimed the Arrowhead award for best float. Other first-place prizes went to Kuhns Brothers in the commercial division, the Little Miss contestants in the youth division and the United Pentecostal Church of Lewisburg in the church division.