Five-year-old Kalli Strahm (left) leads the pedal pushers down Fifth Street in Holtville during the Carrot Festival Parade on Saturday morning. She was dressed as Rosie the Riveter, from the red bandana on her head to her wingtip shoes, to go with the theme of the festival: "We can do it." (ELIZABETH VARIN) |
HOLTVILLE — Mary M. Castro was covered in carrots Saturday morning.
The Holtville resident had carrots hanging from her ears, her neck and even perched on her hat as she sat watching the floats ride through town. She wears the orange accents every year for the parade.
Castro was one of the hundreds who lined one of the main streets here to see groups from around the Valley celebrate carrots and the Holtville community at the 64th annual Carrot Festival parade.
The orange root vegetable hung from floats, hay bales and even the handlebars of quads at the parade.
The parade was followed by the midway carnival, entertainment at the gazebo in Holt Park and a craft fair.
The events went well, said Mary-Helen Dollente, assistant festival organizer. There were more entries in this year’s parade than the Chamber of Commerce has had in the past two years, and there was good competition. All the schools had a lot of energy.
Some of the loudest cheers came from the two dozen students at Imagine School, who danced down the parade route for the first year as part of a drill team. The students worked two hours a day for two weeks, but it was worth it as the group took first in the elementary school drill team division, said teacher Raul Padilla.
For Padilla, who grew up in Holtville, it was great to show off in his hometown, he said. The teacher, parents and students had worked so hard, and all Padilla could say after the school won three first-place trophies was, “Wow.”
This year was not only the first year for Imagine School but some of the visitors as well.
Snowbirds Vicki Hagerty and Brenda Gessleman both said they thought the festival was terrific. A friend had told them to come out, and they said they were enjoying it, especially the parade.
There were a lot of interesting entries, said Carrot Queen Trudy Gaddis. She really liked a truck decorated like a bunny, but that wasn’t the best part of the event.
“Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and that is the best part,” she said.
Parade Grand Marshal Wally Leimgruber agreed.
The former county supervisor not only got to ride through the parade but sat on the judges’ podium. It was a marvelous event, he said.
“This is hometown America at its best,” he said.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
The Holtville resident had carrots hanging from her ears, her neck and even perched on her hat as she sat watching the floats ride through town. She wears the orange accents every year for the parade.
Castro was one of the hundreds who lined one of the main streets here to see groups from around the Valley celebrate carrots and the Holtville community at the 64th annual Carrot Festival parade.
The orange root vegetable hung from floats, hay bales and even the handlebars of quads at the parade.
The parade was followed by the midway carnival, entertainment at the gazebo in Holt Park and a craft fair.
The events went well, said Mary-Helen Dollente, assistant festival organizer. There were more entries in this year’s parade than the Chamber of Commerce has had in the past two years, and there was good competition. All the schools had a lot of energy.
Some of the loudest cheers came from the two dozen students at Imagine School, who danced down the parade route for the first year as part of a drill team. The students worked two hours a day for two weeks, but it was worth it as the group took first in the elementary school drill team division, said teacher Raul Padilla.
For Padilla, who grew up in Holtville, it was great to show off in his hometown, he said. The teacher, parents and students had worked so hard, and all Padilla could say after the school won three first-place trophies was, “Wow.”
This year was not only the first year for Imagine School but some of the visitors as well.
Snowbirds Vicki Hagerty and Brenda Gessleman both said they thought the festival was terrific. A friend had told them to come out, and they said they were enjoying it, especially the parade.
There were a lot of interesting entries, said Carrot Queen Trudy Gaddis. She really liked a truck decorated like a bunny, but that wasn’t the best part of the event.
“Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and that is the best part,” she said.
Parade Grand Marshal Wally Leimgruber agreed.
The former county supervisor not only got to ride through the parade but sat on the judges’ podium. It was a marvelous event, he said.
“This is hometown America at its best,” he said.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
