Some people living close to College Park take advantage of the crowd to have yard sales and it truly is a holiday atmosphere. I remember one year I bought a jar of the best grape jelly I ever tasted from a lady in a yard on College Street. She was selling for her church that I have forgotten the name of, but the jelly was out of this world. I would love to find her again.
Anyway as I thought about the work that it takes to put on such an event, I thought of what I call "the unsung heroes," the people behind the scenes who work hard and are seldom seen. And most of them prefer it that way.
And two men immediately came to my mind, Bobby Bailey and Ken Davis. It is my personal opinion that it would be very difficult to have a successful festival without the help of these two men. They are always there, solving any problem that arises. They truly are a great asset to the festival.
But there are many other "unsung heros" including members of our parks department who see that the grounds are in A-1 shape, not just at festival time, but all the time. It is my opinion that we have the most beautiful parks that a town our size can have, thanks to these dedicated employees.
In the event some one gets hurt, the EMS is right there - an upset stomach, a stepped-on toe, a fall, whatever happens, excellent care is on the site.
Should a disturbance arise or should a child get separated from its family, members of the Winchester Police Department or the Clark County Sheriff's Department are there, along with the rescue unit, ready to serve the public, along with the rescue squad.
The Junior Civitan Club members are other unsung heros when it comes to the festival. After Friday night's Main Street celebration and Sunday night at Lykins Park, these young people go to work, clearing the street and park. And the next mornings, the street is clean and Lykins is beautiful, as though nothing had taken place.
At College Park, trash receptacles are placed throughout the area, and yet for some reason some trash gets to the ground. And here comes a crew of young people from The Mission Church not only picking up the litter that they can due to the crowd, but emptying the receptacles as well.
Like the book that was published several years ago, "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child," it takes a lot of people willing to work behind the scenes to make a successful festival
And Winchester and Clark County are lucky. We have plenty of behind the scenes "unsung heros" and I for one sincerely appreciate each of you.
