It ’ s a ParadeThing!

Whodoesn’t love a parade?

In Hancock, we have several traditional parades throughout the year that give both residents and visitors not only a dose of smalltown nostalgia but also a look at the uniqueness of our community.

Some established parades are planned for months in advance with special appearances by celebrities— such as Santa Claus at the Sandra Karcher Memorial Parade of Lights held the first Saturday in December to kick off the holiday season. Or the annual parade featuring our own firefighters and fire trucks from the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department who march along with members from other local fire companies during the Hancock Fireman’s Field Days in July.

Other parades are more spontaneous events.

Take the Lordville Fourth of July parade for instance. The Lordville Parade is an eclectic Fourth of July tradition on the banks of the Delaware River in the hamlet of Lordville which showcases the distinctiveness of the community. The annual parade is an event where “nobody spectates, but everyone is supposed to participate” as Callie Brunelli, Clerk of Session of the Lordville Presbyterian Church describes it.

The parade kicks off at noon, as custom dictates, on July 4th beginning with a reading of The Declaration of Independence on the steps of the church.

The first Lordville parade took place in 1948, said Brunelli, when her aunt, Alva Lord Joyce, refused to drive her niece to the Independence Day parade that was going on in Hancock. Instead, she made old-fashioned triangle hats from newspaper for the kids and pulled them in a cart around Lordville in their own holiday parade.

This impromptu occasion was the inaugural event that has continued every year to the present day.

Last year, Hancock also honored the Deposit-Hancock baseball and softball teams with spontaneous parades after both teams swept the Class D State Championships in June. It was an exciting time which this year’s Deposit-Hancock teams hope to recreate this June.

In the fall, Hancock has its traditional Homecoming and Halloween parades as well as the annual Bob Ray Memorial Tractor Parade and Harvest Festival featuring a line up of antique and present-day farm tractors followed by Eric Baudendistel’s well known wagon drawn by his horses Hope and Beauty.

This year the 16th annual Bob Ray Tractor Parade and Harvest Festival will be held on the weekend of October 6-8 and will also include vendors, food, music, and all kinds of small-town fun.

It’s a parade thing—and Hancock has it all.

~ by Kristin Barron

American Legion Post 289 leads the annual Firemen’s Field Days Parade.

Fire Departments from throughout the area join in.

You’re never too young (or too old!) to enjoy a parade!

John Farnsworth motors through town during the annual Tractor Parade which is held the first Saturday in October.

Perchon’s Hope and Beauty bring up the rear of almost every parade in Hancock. The work horses belong to Hancock resident Eric Baudendistel.