Parade ushers in ‘larger than life’ Franklin County Fair

GREENFIELD — With “Larger than Life” serving as the 174th Franklin County Fair’s theme, everything was big for the kick-off parade on Thursday: the crowd, the floats and, of course, the numbers on the thermometer.

Despite temperatures soaring into the low 90s, folks from around the region flocked to shady areas from Greenfield Middle School all the way down Federal and Main streets to take in the Franklin County Fair parade’s eclectic mix of school, business and community groups.

At the school, parade participants prepared to kick off the beloved tradition with outsized floats and costumes as they tried to fit the Larger than Life theme. Among the groups, Franklin County Technical School and its ever-growing student population showed up with the school’s new welding simulator trailer, its traditional parade float and a helicopter that will be used in its aviation program.

“Growth is the word at FCTS,” said Career and College Awareness Instructor Christa Snyder, who has organized the school’s parade crew over the last four years, with this one easily being the hottest. “We’ve done rain, we’ve done shine and now we’re sweltering.”

Fitting in with the fair’s theme, Snyder added enrollment is “well over 600 students” and Franklin Tech had its largest-ever group of students volunteer to work on the parade team. “We’re real excited, they’re all excited.”

Prepping on Sanderson Street, the Franklin County Community Development Center and Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center were getting ready to toss out something a little different than the typical candy and sweets.

Franklin County CDC Executive Director John Waite and his team tossed out packets of “mammoth” sunflower seeds, alongside wildflower seeds with the hope that people can make a larger-than-life impact on the environment.

“Our crew gets excited about it,” Waite said as he was getting ready to don a bumblebee costume to help pollinate the seeds they were throwing.

On the parade route, families and friends were getting settled into their spots in the shade, ready to take in another year of Franklin County Fair fun.

“It’s our first time at the parade,” said resident Nick Meyer, who was sitting in the shade with 6-year-old Immy Arcaro-Meyer. Meyer added that they got there early to beat the rush for a cool spot. Asked about going to the fair, he said it’s “tradition at this point. I’ve been going since I was her age.”

Just down the street was Bernardston resident Martha Fiorey, who was taking in the parade with Izzy, 8, and Dexter, 6. A longtime fan of the Franklin County Fair, Fiorey said the Roundhouse is “absolutely” her favorite part.

And, while baking in the sun, she said the grandkids were happy to see the parade once again, especially because of the candy.

“What do you think?” she joked when the kids were asked what they were excited about, pointing at their candy bags. “They just love it.”

The Franklin County Fair runs through Sunday, with gates opening at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon and at 8 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. More information and an up-to-date list of events and activities can be found at fcas.com or on the Franklin County’s Fair’s Facebook page at facebook.com/FranklinCountyFairGreenfield.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.