NORTH WEBSTER — The 64th annual Mermaid Festival in North Webster begins today and will run through Saturday.
Sponsored by the local Lions Club, this year’s theme is “Country Music Time.”
Wednesday night is the Cutie Parade, which is open to children younger than 14.
According to organizers, this is one of the country’s largest children’s parades. Parade watchers will get a preview of the contestants in Friday evening’s Cutie Pageant, as each contestant in the pageant is required to enter in the parade.
Parade participants will line up at 5:45 p.m. in the south parking lot of the North Webster Community Center, 301 N. Main St., and the parade will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday is a rain date for the event. Entries include walking, hand-drawn units, motorized are limited to golf carts and small garden tractors. No animals will be allowed and throwing candy will be prohibited.
On Thursday, a coin hunt in the sand will be held in the Lions Activity Building at 6 p.m. for children.
Friday’s events include the Cutie Pageant, in which a Cutie King and Cutie Queen will be crowned. The contest will be held at the Community Center gymnasium beginning at 7 p.m. There is an admission fee of $5 for adults and $2 for children not participating in the pageant.
Also on Friday is a garden tractor pull beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Washington Street. Tractors are limited to 4,000 rpm.
The festival concludes Saturday with the Queen of Lakes Pageant, a demolition derby and the large Mermaid Festival parade.
The parade kicks off at 4 p.m. from CVS and will travel north on Ind. 13 to the Community Center. Steve Ward, president of the Lion’s Club, is the parade chairman and the Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation, Inc. is the grand marshal. The parade includes several high school marking bands and many floats, including all of the queen candidates. Cash prizes are given up to $500 each.
The Queen of Lakes Pageant begins at 7 p.m. in the Community Center and features up to 25 female contestants between the ages of 16 and 23. Queen contestants have a full day of activities Saturday including interviews, modeling practice, gowns and swimsuit competitions and a final question to be answered by the finalists. The winner receives a $2,000 scholarship and reigns for one year.
The 11th annual demolition derby will begin at 7 p.m. on the north end of the festival grounds off Washington Street and involves mostly local drivers. Trophies and plaques will be awarded. There is an entry fee of $25 for each car.
Carnival rides will be ongoing throughout the week and the Milford Lions Club will provide food, including hot dogs, burgers, fish and ham sandwiches, corn dogs and french fries, as well as drinks. The food stand seats 80.
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