Beachys Honored for Service to Nappanee Festival
Published: Friday, September 27, 2024
Over 100 units were featured in the annual Nappanee Apple Festival parade last Saturday. Organizers estimated a crowd of 10,000 watched from their positions along the parade route. Sam and Lisa Beachy were the grand marshals.
Riding in one of the lead cars, the Beachys stepped out to take their reserved seats near the announcer's stand. Announcer Maynard Miller praised the longtime Nappanee residents, saying that Sam, who served for a decade on the apple festival committee, and Lisa, a longtime volunteer, are one of the main reason's for the festival's success today.
The parade itself featured all the pageantry people have come to expect from the Nappanee Apple Festival. That included a flyover, National Anthem sung by Delaney Giddings, and a long line of Nappanee businesses, youth and school groups, political organizations and even the Grandpa Cratchet puppet show.
Elise Mestach, daughter of Lance and Jane Mestach of Wakarusa, was crowned Miss Apple Blossom on Thursday night. She is a junior at NorthWood High School and has the unique distinction of having served as both Miss Apple Blossom in Nappanee and Maple Syrup Festival queen in Wakarusa. She also is part of her high school's Main Street Voices choir and sang a solo on Sunday afternoon.
Gale Gerber, assistant parade director, attributed the large turnout to a well-run festival, excellent weather, and the fact that so many people wanted to celebrate the city of Nappanee's 150th anniversary.
One of the apple festival's most famous traditions is a 7-foot apple pie. Baked on Wednesday night, the pie was sliced and served to festival-goers. By the time the parade rolled around on Saturday morning, the pie had been reduced to just a few slices.
Over at the Power from the Past show grounds, hundreds of people gathered to watch the antique tractor and engine show. This year's featured tractor line was Case equipment. There were antique tractor games, a tractor pull, tractor parade and various demonstrations.
One of the oldest tractors at the event was a 1912 gas-powered Case tractor. Owner Justin Click of Hobart acquired it 15 years ago and restored it. Last Friday, his tractor powered an Advance-Rumely separator. The separator is an antique version of a modern combine, knocking the wheat kernels from the stalk and sending them into the dump chute while blowing the straw out the back.
Click said his tractor was the oldest gas-powered tractor at the show. It has about 36 horsepower. He takes it to shows like the Nappanee Power from the Past.
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