It wasn’t exactly a sunny solstice, but the rain held off and the inaugural Clyde Solstice celebration was without a doubt a success.
Linda McCoy, one of the festival’s organizers, said she felt everything went great and she was pleased that more than 300 people attended.
“We had a great turnout for the first year, considering we had to cancel the week before,” she said.
She added she thought the turnout at the parade, with nearly 30 entries, was a great indication of how the community has got behind this event.
The highlight of the day, for her, was just seeing kids out there having fun.
“I think families really appreciate having something to do that doesn’t cost a lot of money,” she said.
An impressive parade made its rounds starting at about 11 a.m., with several local community groups participating.
The action then moved over to the field by the curling rink, where the gymkhana grounds were set up. The gymkhana, however, wasn’t the only opportunity to get some animal contact.
A petting zoo was set up with several small mammals and fowl for children of all ages to interact with, and a pony carousel provided the kids with an opportunity to test out their horse-back riding skills in a controlled way.
The whole field was full with a festive atmosphere, as volunteers provided all kinds of activities for the families in attendance.
There were several inflatable rides, including a whale, a caterpillar and a bouncy castle, as well as face painting and some traditional children’s activities, like a sack race.
A beer gardens and a stage with live entertainment rounded things out, providing some entertainment for an older crowd.
One patron, Duke Dobyanski, brought his family from Dapp to check out the action, and said it was well worth the trip.
“It’s very fun and kid-oriented,” he said. “The parade was great, and so was the petting zoo.”
He added he would gladly come back next year.
Mayor Wayne Wilcox said he was very impressed with the festival and was proud of the village’s volunteers for making it a success.
“It seemed to start small and keep building from there,” he said. “The volunteers we have in Clyde are just fantastic.”
Wilcox said next year’s festival is almost certain to go ahead, and added that volunteers are already keen to get organizing a community event around Easter.
