Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Festival Enjoyed Despite Rain

By JOHN MILLER

Rain failed to dampen the Gurdon Forest Festival Saturday, as thousands crowded the city.

In fact, the damp weather may have been a benefit to the festival as people came and stayed throughout the day.

The festival began early with the annual Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast at the Senior Adult Center.

Members of the club arrived at 5:30 a.m. to begin preparations so the visitors could enjoy the day on a full stomach. The breakfast consisted of pancakes, coffee, sausage, bacon and orange juice.

An estimated 300 people enjoyed their morning feast.

Then came the parade through downtown. The parade was the first public chance to display the new rescue unit for South Clark County.

Floats, mini-cars and horses were paraded through the packed streets as the festivities were kicked off right.

Opening ceremonies were held at noon, with Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith, Clark County Judge Grady Runyan and State Rep. Percy Malone all welcoming the visitors to Gurdon and wishing them well.

As people strolled up and down Main Street looking at the various articles for sale or patronizing the food vendors, they were serenaded by a host of entertainers, including plenty of local talent.

In spite of the rain falling intermitantly, those on hand had fun, playing games, visiting with one another and just looking around.

Festival organizer Freddie Horne said this was one of the largest and most successful festivals ever held in Gurdon regardless of the weather.

As evening drew near, the annual Forest Festival Auction was held to help raise money for the Community Development and Entertainment Club. This club returns the money to the city in various forms such as scholarships and donations to the schools.

While many of the items auctioned brought only a few dollars, some went for quite a bit. A 50 pound bag of peanuts was sold for $90, while a ham was purchased by the Hoo Hoos for $160 and donated to the Senior Citizens Center.

When the auction ended, it was time to judge the Halloween costumes. The children were judged in different age groups, but there were no real losers as the youngsters were bedecked in their Halloween finery and all were precious.

The costumes ranged from a purple clad little Go-Devil, to a scarecrow. Then came a smiley face, hula dancer, Spiderman, fairy princess and one young lady draped in the U.S. flag.

The only adverse affect the rain may have had was the street dance being moved into the Gurdon Middle School gym as the rain began falling in torrents around 5:30 p.m.

Still, there were few problems and plenty of diets which went by the wayside as the patrons of the 1997 Forest Festival partook heavily in the goodies on hand.

Final figures on the festival were not available by press time.