Thursday night saw a great turnout for the 20th anniversary of the Little Miss Liberty and Little Uncle Sammy pageant. Two boys and four girls competed with the crown and Uncle Sammy Hat going to Little Miss Kayli Williams and Master Coy Van Dyke. All received exciting gift bags from Tradye Machine and Tool and the winners received $50 each from First Federal Savings & Loan. All former winners had been invited back and there was a pretty good turnout even among those first-year winners now being adults! Following the pageant was Remy and Friends. Remy delighted both the children and the adults with his mix of ventriloquism, magic, illusions and balloon animals. People asked to have him back. Unfortunately, a late afternoon shower prevented the rides from opening that evening, which of course was a disappointment.
Friday saw a decent crowd for the evening who enjoyed the talents of the Acoustic Horizon and the bubblegum band with two gold records and seven chart hits, the Ohio Express. Lots of compliments were received for the talented performers. The hot weather turned into a chilly evening once the sun went down.
Saturday dawned beautiful and cool for the parade which kicked off at 10 a.m. The grand marshal was the “Serve the Burg” organization. Their administrator, Brian Hetterscheidt, and board member, Saundra Dove, received a plaque for the group’s efforts in serving the local community in many ways. The CHS Band then performed a short concert.
The still-cool afternoon then began with Disney princesses, Ariel, the Little Mermaid and Snow White live and in person. They sang all of their signature songs acapella and then had a dance party with music from many Disney movies. The princesses then left the stage to a spot in the park where the many little girls, dressed in their best princess dresses got to meet the lovely princesses in person and get photos. They were busy for the entire four hours without any time for a break.
The State of Ohio Sanctioned Kid’s Tractor Pull began at 1 p.m. and the lively crowd cheered on their favorites. This is always a fun event.
Another popular thing for the kids was a Build Your Own Animal station. Just like Build-A-Bear but you could choose not only bears but dogs, horses and even unicorns! Once a child chose the animal, they pushed the button that made the stuffing blow in, then a heart was chosen and placed inside where it was quickly closed up.
At 5 p.m., Jamie Sagle took the stage with her guitar and sang many well-known songs.
Country group the Matt Simmons Band began at 6 p.m. and many people enjoyed their country favorites. Things changed at 8 p.m. for a hard rock band, Rumspringa, who had a good following in the audience.
The midway area and rides were busy and long lines at the food trucks intermingled with the large crowd on the food court. The crafters’ booths in the small park were kept very busy all day selling all types of items such as candles, pies, wood-carved items, jewelry and much more. It was the most crafters they have ever had and they stayed very busy.
The chilly evening concluded with the fireworks extravaganza at ten and they were amazing and stunning to watch! Hamburg always provides a great show! People were bundled up in hoodies and blankets as they enjoyed the show. But that was preferable over the 90-plus weather lately.
Sunday morning cleanup was the least amount of litter the festival staff members have ever had to clean up. That is a great milestone.
A big shout out to the sponsors, those who donated time and money to fundraisers and such. Without the support, there could be no free family event every year.
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