By Michelle Steinhebel, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 12:00 am
Little fairies, horses, princesses and kings marched down Main Street Friday afternoon during the 99th annual Lebanon Strawberry Festival Junior Parade, despite the rain and cold weather.
Amanda Sonne, 4, with the Lacomb Rainbow Preschool didn't seem to mind the rain. "I feel like a princess," she said, dressed in red velvet and a big smile. Sonne and "King" Dustin Erickson, 4, sat in a make-shift carriage that was really a modified wagon.
The Lebanon Boys & Girls Club took home the Court's Choice award for a giant strawberry-shaped float that 32 kids packed on. "They made all the decorations," said Chris Comstock, program director for the club.
Others came to watch their loved ones march through town. Margaret Stabler, the grandmother of Mikayla Stabler, 10, was proud of her daughter's float, created by the First Baptist Church. "They painted all the bricks on that castle and put in a lot of hours," Margaret said.
In addition to the floats, some unusual parade participants were spotted Friday. A man on a Segway waved at the crowd as he scooted along on the two-wheeled contraption. Unicyclists and skateboarders showed off their skills, and girls holding wands and wearing fairy wings and crowns smiled at the large crowd.
A complete list of winners for the Junior Parade will be printed in the June 18 edition of the Lebanon Express.