Parishville Bicentennial Parade - Part 2

I was about midway into the Parishville Bicentennial Parade when this patriotic pickup truck went by:

And then this - um, I don't have any idea what this was. It had license plates, but I don't think I'd want to travel far in it, especially in the winter:

A bagpipe band. You can see the bridge over the St. Regis River behind them in this photo:

Fire Department marchers:

And a float from the St. Lawrence Power and Equipment Museum, which I recently visited:

A marching band:

"Justice For Garrett" signs are seen everywhere in the area. In 2011, a 12 year old boy was murdered in Potsdam and his murderer was never found. "Justice For Garrett" became a movement to help find and convict whoever was responsible. This past spring, a Clarkson University soccer coach was arrested for the murder, but I never heard anything more:

A 1901 "horseless carriage:"

The Red Hat Society ladies:

And Sun Feather natural soaps, a local company:

Cubby T. Clown:

And another horse drawn wagon. The parade came to an end and I headed back home to check on Scarlett, my cow who I thought would be calving that day. I was wrong and there was no calf that day. I'll be sure to post pictures when it does happen, though:

Parishville Bicentennial Parade - Part 1

Parishville is a small, rural town southwest of me and on the St. Regis River. I visited one day so I could see their Bicentennial Parade. I arrived early, so I toured the town center, beginning at this gazebo on the St. Regis:

A country duo was playing "Okie from Muskogee" while three children danced merrily. The little boy seemed to be break dancing:

The local Amvets Post was directly across the street and, though I didn't go in, it sounded as if a lot of drinking was going on inside:

And across from the Amvets Post, the Parishville Fire Department:

A refreshment stand:

And Evil Seed Sauces has labelled two hot sauce varieties in honor of the Parishville bicentennial:

I began walking up the road to position myself for the parade, passing the town hall on my way:

I chose a spot by the town museum:

The parade began with many fire engines and much highway garage equipment. But I really perked up when these gigantic horses trotted by, pulling a wagon load of passengers:

There were more firetrucks and ambulances:

Soldiers marching:

The local Amvets Post sponsored a float. The parade had now begun in earnest and I could see a line of paraders stretching down the road and across the bridge. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Hopkinton Summer Festival Parade - Part 2

I got a better look at some of the super-hero costumes on the Deer Valley Trails restaurant contingent. They were elaborate, especially the fully feathered wings, but not being a super-hero buff, I couldn't name a single one of them:

NuMed, the only national business in the tiny town of Hopkinton, makes cardiovascular devices for people with heart problems, but especially for children with congenital heart disease:

Appropriately, NuMed's float theme was "NuMed for children" and they were accompanied by a very large contingent of marching children, many of them with their dogs:

The lawn tractor brigade:

And the Lawrenceville Baptist Chapel:

My neighbor's mother rode her handsome, prancing pinto in the parade:

And the same neighbor's children rode the schoolhouse float for the Hopkinton Historical Society:

Sand Hill Stables, in nearby St. Regis Falls, had a large group of horses and riders:

There were classic cars:

And old tractors:

And more classic cars:

The Parishville ATV Club was toward the rear of the parade, followed only by more firetrucks and ambulances. It was a small but enthusiastic parade and lots of fun. Everyone was friendly and it really did seem to bring the community together:

Hopkinton Summer Festival Parade - Part 1

It was time for the town of Hopkinton's annual Summer Festival Parade, so I drove down to the village green and parked. I noticed that the sign was still up, celebrating the town's bicentennial in 2002:

A country band was setting up inside the gazebo, where they'd provide live music when the parade was over. The air smelled of hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages being grilled for the shindig:

I walked around the village green, where there were only four buildings. I noticed that the church had new, golden trim and for the first time I noticed its bell tower. I've never heard the bell sounding on Sunday mornings, but I probably live too far away:

The museum building was well kept and I began thinking it was time for me to pay it another visit:

There were games for young and old set up behind the town office building:

And porta-potties set up in front of the town office building:

The town court building was the fourth and final building on the square. I walked past it and headed out to the highway to watch the parade:

I found myself a shady place from which to watch the parade and noticed others lining up along both sides of the road, including this Amish man and his horse:

Firetrucks from a number of nearby towns led the parade:

And the first float was for breast cancer awareness and included a pink lawn tractor:

This man was all alone and seemed enormously pleased that I took his picture:

Deer Valley Trails, a restaurant/watering hole set far, far back in the Adirondack forest, once again marched as super-heroes, though I couldn't name a single one of them. I did notice that they were different costumes than last year. But the parade was just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 2

I walked from the chainsaw carving area (see yesterday's post) and continued along the road by the lake, passing these classic cars which had been used in the parade earlier that morning:

There were huge piles of saw logs and heavy equipment, both of them to be used in the lumberjack competitions:

Truckloads of logs were pulling in off the main road, honking their horns loudly and continuously. I never did find out if they were delivering logs for use in the festivities or if they were just stopping by to see or compete in the Woodsmen's Days:

I moved on into the food venders' area, which was just getting started:

I tried spun maple sugar, or maple flavored cotton candy:

There were wine slushies and beer. The beer, as you might imagine was a big seller, even in the morning:

Hand crafted Adirondack furniture:

Adirondack bedroom furniture:

Tree climbing for the kids, with funnel cakes and lemonade for everyone:

More floats from the morning's parade:

I stopped along the edge of Tupper Lake to enjoy its beauty, though this part of the lake is supposed to be called Raquette Pond. I got a bit of food to eat and began walking toward the grandstand area to see the competitions, but I'll post about that tomorrow: