 |
|
 |
|
  
|
|
   
|
|
|
|
The McCrearyFest Parade
All around the world, folks celebrate carnival, but McCrearyFest is party season for our community. It’s time to
enjoy the spice of Southern life and explore what our community has to offer. The McCrearyFest Parade is easily the most anticipated event of McCrearyFest week, and seen by many as the culmination of the weeklong festivities. The exciting and colourful procession draws thousands of spectators to downtown Whitley City every year. Although other local festivals offer parades, no one quite does it like McCrearyFest. Additionally, the parade is covered by local television and print media unlike any other event in our town, and undoubtedly you’ve never seen more locals in one place.
The parade takes place annually the first weekend in October.
Main street in downtown is completely shutdown, as well as many businesses, but others offer special McCrearyFest deals, packages, and events for your enjoyment, adding to the spectacle. People are walking everywhere, and greeting and meeting new and old friends. Don’t be surprised if you become acquainted with locals. Our hospitality is legendary. After all, as our county motto might indicate, “it’s our nature.”
Truly, McCrearyFest is an event for the entire family, and there’s surely something for everyone. Arrive early to enjoy the entertainment option already in place on main street, from live music around the grounds, to children‘s activities, shopping, and arts and crafts. People have even been known to bring blankets and picnics,
but there are a myriad of food vendors available for those who don‘t want to lug around coolers and blankets. There are also numerous restaurants in the area, but many are either full or closed during the parade. You will do some walking, so comfortable shoes might be an option. We’re confident that in the end, you’ll find that McCrearyFest exhilaration is contagious. Kids and grown ups alike are running everywhere with the glimmer of McCrearyFest excitement. As the oldest festival in the area, we have a long tradition of pleasing the masses.
In addition to the familiar floats, the parade has also been known to feature live music and other performances. College and high school marching bands and drill teams from all around the region have equally been known to participate. Throughout the years this celebration has paid homage to religious and cultural influences with various parade themes every year, dating back to the very first McCrearyFest parade, making for creative and colourful entries to the beloved parade, and often adding cultural and patriotic flavor. We’ve also developed a few traditions all our own. A little known custom seems to have been born of the Halloween season. Don’t be surprised to see people with all sorts of hair colors and styles, or be drenched from water balloon and water gun fights along main street.
However, it should be known that the safety of everyone is top priority. In 2007, uniformed deputies lined the parade route, and the help of the local police department and community watch organizations provide security during the parade and throughout parade day.
Safety first, but don’t forget, McCrearyFest is a celebration! We welcome all sorts: art lovers, history lovers, fun lovers, Southern lovers, music lovers, and adventurers. We're truly appealing to a wide audience, young and old, rich and poor! McCrearyFest is a week long event chalked full of entertainment for the whole family! Take the time to discover McCreary Fest. Revel in our splendours. Enjoy food, fun, history, and hospitality that you’ll never forget! Y’all come rock
with us, swoon with us, dine with us, swing, hike, run with us. We invite you to let us show you how it’s done!
And who knows, there could be a surprise in store for you. You simply never know who will turn up to be the parade’s Grand Marshal. Over the years, it’s truly been a variety of characters, everyone from celebrities, to beauties, to the sentimental marking watershed events, and politicians and dignitaries. So, make your plans today. Make McCrearyFest your day; an event for your whole family!
If you're interested in participating in the McCrearyFest parade, contact the McCrearyFest Board of Directors, or visit our Forms Section. Parade Entry Forms can also be found at many local businesses. Check back for list of 2008 pick-up locations.
Advice for enjoying McCrearyFest
Get there early! The parade route can look empty one second, and be ten-fold the next, particularly around the main stage. So, get there early. There will be plenty to do on main street to occupy your time while you wait for the parade, and remember main street will be closed down, so you’ll need to find parking elsewhere, which can make the parking situation tedious.
Watch out for parking tickets. Do not double-park or park in privately owned driveways, on neutral grounds, medians, on curb corners, too far from the curb, or on the Parade route!
If you get there late, do not move authorized signs or barriers to view the parade route. Such barriers are in place for your safety. Don’t worry though, once the parade begins, there’s usually a place for everyone.
Plan ahead! If you’re coming from out of town, make your reservations early. For a list of local overnight accommodations, visit the McCreary County Tourist Commission.
Please, respect local police and community watch organizations. They work very hard and long hours to assure everyone’s safety in and around McCrearyFest. Long shifts, parade duty, drunks, lost kids, fights, rowdy crowds, nuisance objections, and a myriad of other incidents keep them busy 24 hours a days around McCrearyFest. If an authority tells you to do something, please oblige!
McCreary County is a dry county. There will be no alcohol sells.
Check the weather forecast. October in Kentucky can be a tricky month. In 2007, the heat soared into the nineties, but in 2000, it snowed on McCrearyFest day. Rain, too, is always an option, so you’ll need to be prepared for the weather.
Be mindful of the situation around you. Don’t reach down to pick up candy or any other particles tossed from parade entries without observing the scene around you. A local tip is to put your foot on it, and wait until the parade route has cleared to pick it up. While medical personnel will be close, I don’t think anyone’s in town to lose their fingers. Please, in these circumstances, watch your kids!
Absolutely do not run into the street. You may find yourself arrested. Parade entries are sometimes large, and due to parade conditions, their vision is sometimes obscured, and needless to say, they cannot stop on a dime. For your own personal safety, stay out of the street.
Make sure you or your children do not get too close to floats. Crowds can swell quickly and sometimes lurch forward. You do not want to be pushed into or under a float.
Practice ladder safety. Like with many other events such as McCrearyFest, visitors have been known to perch atop a ladder for better views, but please be mindful of barricades, and please keep ladders as far away from the street as the ladder’s height.
Have a meeting place for your family. While downtown Whitley City is no metropolis, crowds at McCrearyFest can make it difficult to relocate your party once you’ve been separated. Have a place established to meet at a certain time in case you get separated.
Shop! There will be vendors all around the grounds, and they’re certainly there to tickle you fancy. So, bring your pocketbooks. While many events will be free of charge, it’s always a good idea to have extra cash on hand.
If you have ideas to improve McCrearyFest, or you're interested in volunteering with McCrearyFest or potentially filling a vacated board seat for 2008, please email us here: mccrearyfest@hotmail.com
| | | |
