Nominations needed for parade marshal

ORRINGTON – Bluegrass music, home-cooked meals and an old-fashioned country fair will highlight this year’s 12th annual Olde Home Week celebration July 24-31.

One thing missing is a grand marshal for the parade that ends the annual weeklong rendezvous, created as a way to bring neighbors together for fellowship.

“We want to recognize somebody in town for what they’ve done for the community,” chairwoman Christine Lavoie said Friday. “We are currently taking nominations.”

Lavoie, who also is a town selectman, has been working with a committee to plan the Olde Home Week for the last couple of months.

Besides selecting a grand marshal for the parade, there are a few events that need to be finalized before the celebration begins and times for some events still need to be scheduled.

A country fair and turkey dinner will kick off the event July 24. Orrington Enterprise Grange No. 173, at the corner of the Dow Road and Center Drive, will host a turkey and fixings dinner that evening.

Curran Farm, on Fields Pond Road, will sponsor the country fair for two days, July 24-25, with games, rides, goat milking, tours, meals and storytelling.

Kathleen Wychulis will play the harp on Sunday afternoon, July 25, at the East Orrington Congregational Church, located at 38 Johnson Mill Road.

The next scheduled event is a turkey-pie dinner July 29 at the East Orrington Congregational Church.

Bluegrass music will be heard Friday night, July 30, when the local Katahdin Valley Boys return to town for the festivities.

On the morning of July 31, the East Orrington Congregational Church will host breakfast, and the parade will begin at 10 a.m.

This year’s parade theme is “Celebrate the Children.” Lavoie said children are invited to dress up their bikes and ride in the parade.

“All they need to do is just show up,” she said.

Parade participants must register at Center Drive School between 9 a.m. and the start of the parade to qualify for prizes.

“We do prizes of money for floats, and we also give plaques for different units, like best Shriners or best music,” Lavoie said. “First prize is $100, second is $50 and third is $25.”

At noon on the last day, the Methodist Church on Center Drive will host a chicken barbecue lunch.

The community is celebrating its 216th birthday. The car show has been canceled this year.

More information and an updated list of events will be available in the July 22 edition of The Weekly. Anyone with a nomination for grand marshal can call Lavoie at 989-1488.