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Macquarie
pulls out of bypass project
Newberg Marine loses leg in IED attack in Iraq
CYFS offers counseling with aid of Spirit
Mountain grant
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Festival has its royalty |
Crowning of Sarah Lowe as queen kicks off Newberg's
annual summer rite |
By Nicole
Clark, Newberg Graphic intern
E-mail Nicole at
thegraphic@eaglenewspapers.com
|
The children’s parade may have been the first event, but one more
thing had to happen before the Old Fashioned Festival could be
declared officially open. One of the three members of the festival
court had to be crowned queen.
Since being selected to the court in April, Sarah Lowe, Delores
“Loli” Peña and Amanda Palacios have been busy shopping for matching
outfits, getting their hair done and representing Newberg at rodeos
and other events around the state.
The princesses
were escorted to the stage by their fathers. Festival co-chairman
Allan Hopp commented, “They are what’s right about kids in Newberg.
They are great representatives.”
Outgoing festival queen Mika Dedrick then took the stage. “It’s
been a great experience,” she said, with a nervous giggle. Composing
herself, she then read what each princess’s parents wrote about
their daughter.
Peña appeared on the verge of tears as Dedrick told of how
3-year-old Peña refused to shake her cousin’s hand because her own
hand was dirty. Palacios smiled as she recalled how she became
involved in Newberg High School cheerleading and peer mentoring. And
the crowd chuckled upon hearing that Lowe’s older brother was a
“babe magnet” whenever he took his younger sister to the playground
because “they all wanted to see the new baby.”
Lowe was then announced as this year’s festival queen. She hugged
her fellow court members and the chaperones and then declared the
2007 Old Fashioned Festival officially open.
“I’m excited. I didn’t think I was (going to be queen),” she said,
explaining that she had made a bet with the other princesses. “Now I
owe them a bag of candy.” She added that she was excited about the
festival, especially being in the info booth “because we’re so close
to the food.”
Dedrick reflected on her tenure as queen. “It’s kind of sad, but
it’s nice,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
The court, with its newly crowned queen, will remain busy through
the fall. In addition to presiding over the festival and this year’s
parade, they will attend other festivals and events.
Before the coronation, however, many Newberg youth had already
started the party. Bicycles, strollers and skateboards — many
festooned with streamers, balloons and handmade signs — began lining
Sixth Street well before 6 p.m. Thursday for the Nap’s Thriftway
Children’s Parade.
Hundreds of children take part in the event every year, and many
more line the streets along the parade route, awaiting the candy
thrown by parade participants.
Judy Richards had two granddaughters, Makayla and Mykenzie, who
participated in this year’s parade, along with their three dogs and
their friend Jackson, who rode what he described as a “green
machine.” Decked out in a blue Hawaiian shirt and a plastic lei,
Makayla said she liked the vendor booths. Mykenzie, in pink, cited
the carnival as her favorite part of the festival.
Christi Vance’s two daughters participated in the parade for a
second consecutive year. Her favorite part of the festival? “The
concerts.”
As the parade began, hundreds of people stood or sat in lawn chairs
to watch. Chris Erichsen, who was visiting from Dallas, Texas, said
she had attended the festival before, but this was her first year
watching the children’s parade.
Rob Wolcott, another first-time parade viewer, said he was
impressed with the community spirit evident in the parade. “This is
really cool,” he said, as he applauded several children passing by
on bikes. “It’s nice to see that the community is coming out.”
An antique fire truck, carrying the court and several others, led
the parade. Among the children on the truck was Paige Tarmichael,
who was celebrating her third birthday.
When asked if she enjoyed her fire truck ride, she replied “No!”
and ran to her father, who was waiting nearby. Laughing, her mother,
Karen, explained, “She didn’t like it because it stopped. She wanted
to keep going. She thinks the parade is for her today.” |
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From
July 28, 2007,, Newberg Graphic
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