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Parade leads the crowds to fair's fun
By CHASE SQUIRES, Times Staff Writer
DADE CITY -- Not yet 3 years old, Jillyan Jerkins didn't know if she was a parade person. She had never been to a parade. But Monday afternoon found her dancing and waving and grabbing for beads from the back of a family friend's pickup truck as the Pasco County Fair parade marched into town with an hourlong presentation of bands, wailing sirens and men in funny hats and tiny cars. The parade marked the start of the 56th annual Pasco County Fair. It opened to long lines of fairgoers eager to try the rides and plow through piles of fair food. Jillyan's grandmother, Debbie McDonald, said the blond toddler had no idea what to expect Monday afternoon. Clad in overalls and a bright red hat, Jillyan stood at the ready with a bag of party snappers in one hand, an American flag in the other. "She's never been before," McDonald said. "She's very excited." Susan Thomas, grandmother of Jillyan's friend -- 5-year-old Brandon Swinford -- said staking out a prime spot to park her pickup at Meridian Avenue and Seventh Street was the key to good viewing. She snagged her spot at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Jillyan giggled and pointed out beauty queens, danced to the music and eventually traded her flag for a yellow lollipop hurled from a passing float. But not everyone was as ready for a parade. Ohio snowbird Bonie Latimer, who spends winters in Traveler's Rest, was on her way to the dry cleaners when police pulled the barricades across her path on Meridian Avenue. She was blocked in by two big trucks to her rear, and resigned to watching the parade from her Mercury sedan. "I wasn't in a real hurry, but I didn't expect this," she said with a sigh. Forty-five minutes later, the path behind Latimer had cleared, but she was still watching the parade. "I decided I might as well stay," she said with a smile. At the fairgrounds, the traditional collection of farm exhibits, art shows, new product expositions and carnival games greeted the first through the turnstiles. Fair chairman Tracy Thompson said volunteers and carnival workers were ready for the onslaught. Security has been increased, with guards watching the gates all around the grounds, and Thompson said he anticipated no problems. "Just come out and have a good time," he said. Inside, rows of vendors offered treats: candy and caramel apples, Italian and Polish sausage, knockwurst, bratwurst, super dogs, corn dogs, long dogs, cheese on a stick, deviled crab, fried candy bars, bread pudding, apple dumplings and a sandwich called the "Swiss Hammer." The first show of the season was the annual celebrity milk-off, challenging local dignitaries, doctors, and even a few newspaper people to extract milk from two docile cows. Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader did the county proud, capturing the winner's trophy. "I was runner-up last year," he said. "I had nowhere to go but up." Fair admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Parking is free. Gates open at 3 p.m. today at the fairgrounds, along State Road 52 near Pasco High School.
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From today's Pasco Times |
