Time running short to enter Heritage Days

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Time's a wastin'. Only a few days remain to get signed up for the Heritage Days parade and food and craft booths.

"Things are going great," said Heritage Days chair, Jerda Garey, of preparations for McCook's big annual celebration. "We already have 62 booths signed up for the food and craft fair in Norris Park, and parade entries are coming in at a steady pace. But we can always use more. The celebration has been so successful because of widespread participation."

To get involved, all that's required is a stop, or a call, to the Chamber of Commerce office at 107 Norris Avenue. The staff will ask you to fill out a form, describing your parade or booth plans, then you can go about the task of preparing to participate.

Only two weeks remain until the big show. Festivities begin Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Heritage Days Mixer at McCook National Bank. At that time, the Heritage Days dignitaries will be announced, including the Heritage Days Family, the Grand Marshal, the Parade Marshal and the Heritage Days Royalty.

After a days of final preparations, events resume Friday, Sept. 24, with the Norris Foundation Prayer Breakfast featuring Jean Morrison Galloway. In a change from past years, the 7 a.m. Prayer Breakfast will be held at the Heritage Senior Center.

Activities continue at noon Friday with a Senior Picnic at Norris Park.

Then comes Saturday and a flurry of events. The booths at Norris Park have become a hot bed of activity, with hundreds of people gathering in the park for food and the fun of looking at and buying craft items.

The main event -- the parade -- takes place at 10 a.m., with the procession of floats, bands, classic cars, horses, machinery and children's entries moving south down Norris Avenue, then turning west at the C Street intersection. Four sets of announcers will be stationed along the way, giving the crowd a rundown on the parade participants.

That's why it's important to get your parade entries in early. "It makes it easier for the announcers when we have a description," Garey said. "We'll try to work parade entries in up until the parade starts, but the late arrivals may be missing a full description because they won't be in the script.

Details. Details. Details. They give parade organizers a lot of grief, but because of them the celebration runs much smoother and is such a joy to watch. Let's do our part. Sign up now. Join the fun at the 2004 Heritage Days celebration.