SILVER CREEK - If the 44th annual Silver Creek Festival of Grapes began Sunday with a stomp, it ended with a march in the traditional grand parade.
The sun was shining as many marching units, drum and bugle corps, area bands, dancers and karate demonstrators made their way down Main Street.
The parade began with the Sheriff's Mounted Unit and Silver Creek Amvets followed by a barrage of motorcycles.
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Annual parade for Festival of Grapes
Winners and participants in the pentathlon and pageant came next, carried in floats and a convertible.
State Senator Catharine Young and State Assemblyman Andrew Goodell also walked in the parade followed by Silver Creek cheerleaders and bands from West Seneca and Forestville.
Silver Creek, Sunset Bay, Hanover Center, Irving and Sheridan Fire and Rescue Departments proceeded next blaring their sirens.
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OBSERVER Photos by Nicole Gugino
Top: Little Miss Mackenzie Quinn, Miss Hailey Gonzalez and Junior Miss Samantha Hemen-ger ride in the grand parade.
Above: Pictured are cheerleaders from Collage Performing Arts Center Hott Shots Tots doing a routine in the parade.
Area churches and masonic lodges made floats decorated with balloons and officers waved to the crowd.
The demonstrations began with the Chadwick Bay Academy of Dance who were dressed in blue and danced and cheered.
The WNY Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps were the first to perform and with the sound percussion and brass they marched on.
The Karate Connection pulled out all the stops with breaking boards and a nunchuck demonstration.
An antique car show was followed by the workings of the Jamestown Shrine Club zooming down the street in their go carts and were shortly followed by the weaving antics of the Gowanda Shrine Club on their tiny motorbikes.
The Renegade Drum Corp played a rousing song and were proceeded by the Lake Erie Beach Fire Company and the baton twirling stunts of Ambas-sadors Twirling Corps.
The 82 Airborne Division and U.S. Navy Sea Cadets Sullivans Div-ision marched up Main Street followed by Legisla-tor Robert Duff on a tractor.
Chadwick Bay Buccaneers Bugle and Drum Corps came next wearing the signature head scarf of pirates.
Matteson Kempo Karate did their demonstration next with young children doing different forms of martial arts.
The Collage Performing Arts Center Hott Shots and Majestic Dancers were next where tots to teenage girls showed off their cheerleading chops with their routines.
Kallie Proctor, 4, and her mom Jennifer, of Angola, said they enjoyed the parade. Kallie said she like the cheerleaders best.
Silver Creek Mayor Kurt Lindstrom said the parade was "tremendous."
"The weather has been good and we've had a great turnout. This is great for the village. The Festival of Grapes is the one time of year when friends and family come into town," he said.
Co-chair of the Festival of Grapes Committee Brian Boedo said this year's festival has been a success.
"This year's festival has been great, the weather has been nice and the attendance has been good. We had a really good turnout last night when Terry Buchwald performed. We also had more rides, more games and more crafters this year and the wine tasting has been a big hit. The parade was fantastic ... The new contests also went over well," he said.
Boedo said next year will be special because it will be the festival's 45th year.
"Next year is the 45 annual Festival of Grapes and we will probably go for a nostalgia theme and try to bring back some of the things they used to do. At the 40th annual they brought back the Grape Ball, I don't know if we will do that again next year, but it will be things like that," he added.
