Blooming time in Winchester
Parades, fireworks, celebrities, and much, much more briefly dominate this small town of 20-some thousand where we live. The reason the town turns into a teeming caldron of excitement and anticipation in the spring is to celebrate the arrival of the annual apple blossoms.
The excitement never seems to wane. Hues of pink and green, whether in nature, apparel, or decorating, dominate the color palette of the area.
We have lived in the midst of it all for more than 40 years with our house facing the Handley High School campus on the edge of the designated parade route and the location where the fireworks are launched.
It never ceases to amaze us how our quiet neighborhood becomes a teeming hot bed of activity --- two parades, two foot races, street vendors, food concessions of every sort, musical performances, and more. I can actually walk across the street from my house and buy a funnel cake – how many of you can ever do that!
Our children are true Apple Blossom Festival advocates – born in the 1970s in Winchester, they grew up going to festivals. Good friends of the family lived in a house on the parade route on North Washington Street, so we were immediately drafted into the blooming way of life when we moved to the area in the late 1960s. We learned how to get around, what groups to look for in the parades, and how to police our children through the food and toy concessions. Needless to say, our children and now their children partake in the festivities as often as they can with an enthusiastic zeal.
On Friday afternoon, we can sit on our front porch and cheer on youngsters for the one-mile run, and on Saturday morning, we can encourage adults on the longer trek through town. It is certainly a change of pace from the mundane of the normal weekend routine.
Since, the fireworks are on the school campus, directly in front of our house, our grandkids tell everyone to come by and see our fireworks!
Our children are true Apple Blossom Festival advocates – born in the 1970s in Winchester, they grew up going to festivals. Good friends of the family lived in a house on the parade route on North Washington Street, so we were immediately drafted into the blooming way of life when we moved to the area in the late 1960s. We learned how to get around, what groups to look for in the parades, and how to police our children through the food and toy concessions. Needless to say, our children and now their children partake in the festivities as often as they can with an enthusiastic zeal.
On Friday afternoon, we can sit on our front porch and cheer on youngsters for the one-mile run, and on Saturday morning, we can encourage adults on the longer trek through town. It is certainly a change of pace from the mundane of the normal weekend routine.
Since, the fireworks are on the school campus, directly in front of our house, our grandkids tell everyone to come by and see our fireworks!
But before you know it, it is over ---trash has been miraculously picked up, crowds are gone, traffic has disappeared, and the street is back to normal . . . until next year.
It is bittersweet – it was nice to have the distraction, but we know it can’t go on forever. What a glorious break, especially after a harsh winter, and a great welcoming of spring and warmer weather. This once a year spectacle is something we all eagerly anticipate!
It is bittersweet – it was nice to have the distraction, but we know it can’t go on forever. What a glorious break, especially after a harsh winter, and a great welcoming of spring and warmer weather. This once a year spectacle is something we all eagerly anticipate!
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