GREENFIELD — Tossed candy and blaring sirens filled the streets Thursday evening as the Franklin County Fair parade rolled through the city.
Starting at Greenfield Middle School at 5 p.m. and lasting more than an hour, the parade marked the start of the 173rd Franklin County Fair, which continues through the weekend at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Spectators lined Federal and Main streets to watch the various businesses and organizations pass by, with the theme of “Thrills for You in Twenty-Two.”
Preparing at the school, Greenfield High School Band Conductor Matt Sypeck said marching in the parade marks the start of the school year and is usually the first performance the band puts on.
“We see it as a team-building thing,” Sypeck said. “We have to hit the ground running.”
Kim Williams, owner of the Ja’Duke Center for the Performing Arts in Turners Falls, echoed Sypeck’s thoughts, saying the parade is a great time for families. More than 75 people from Ja’Duke’s performing arts center, driving school, cafe, preschool and theater group participated.
“I think it’s such a great tradition,” Williams said. “It’s really a time of everyone coming together.”
For Greenfield High School junior and flute player Shelby Scott, marching in the parade that she’s been attending her whole life is a “magical” feeling.
“It’s kind of stressful, but also fun,” she said.
For many attendees, the parade and fair has become a family affair, where they bring their kids to the same event they went to when they were growing up. Deanne Andrews, who has been to many Franklin County Fairs, said she was looking forward to taking her 5-year-old daughter, Callie Perkins, to the fair.
“The food, the bright attractions, the ability to get out in the fresh air,” Andrews said. “I feel like it brings you back to your agriculture roots and reminds you to look back at those roots.”
Tim Alexander, who attended Thursday’s parade with his two children, said the fair is a “nice local event and fun for the kids.” His 8-year-old son, Drew, said he was looking forward to the candy from the parade.
And for some, it’s a chance to start a new tradition. Wendell residents Cailyn and Brandon Reed set themselves up on Main Street with their children to watch their oldest daughter march with the Franklin County YMCA’s Tumbling Tigers gymnastics team.
“We’ve never been,” Cailyn Reed said, adding it was a “gorgeous” day for it. Asked about what they were looking forward to, Brandon Reed said they were excited to get to the fairgrounds.
“We love candy and rides,” he said.
The Franklin County Fair runs through Sunday. For more information, including a full schedule of events, visit the fair’s website at fcas.com or its Facebook page at Facebook.com/FranklinCountyFairGreenfield.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.