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Watermelon Festival Parade offers big show for many

A Chiefland Fire Rescue engine passes in front of the building that housed the Levy County Journal office 10 years ago. That weekly no longer is published. Vickie and Fred once again put out chairs for people to use as the parade went through beautiful downtown Chiefland on Saturday morning (June 4). Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © June 6, 2016 @ 3:57 p.m. CHIEFLAND – In the 1960s, The Big Parade by Marx was a battery-powered toy that consisted of five mechanical marching men with a drum in the front on wheels. The drum would play and the toy mechanical men would march forward or backward, depending on a lever on top of the drum, and the direction they marched could be controlled by the flag on top of the drum which moved the way the wheel below it would point. That is the only thing the big parade on Saturday (June 6) lacked -- a marching band. Gerry Jesk of Chiefland has mentioned it before; however, there was a person at the Blueberry Festival Parade who mentioned to the press that the Bronson Middle High School Marching Band was absent from that event too. Beyond the absence of marching student musicians, however, the Chiefland Watermelon Festival Parade included Watermelon Royalty, Blueberry Royalty, County Fair Royalty, state and county politicians, equipment, churches, the Three-Peat State Champion Chiefland High School Varsity Softball Team, charter schools and more. The 11 contestants who were 2016 Chiefland Watermelon Pageant winners are Baby Queen (0-11 months) Cheyenne Williams; Teeny Queen (1 year) Amariah Gilbert; Little King (3-5 year boys) Joshua Ruth; Toddler Queen (3 year) Hannah Osborn; Little Queen (4-6 year) McKinley Lord; Petite Queen (7-9 year) Shyloh Sills; Princess (10-12 year) Mackenzie Cribbs; Junior Teen Queen (13-15 year) Regan VonStein; Teen Queen (16-17 year) Jaylyn Harvey; and the 2016 Chiefland Watermelon Queen (18-22) Emma Sapp. The parade route, as tradition has established, went south from Chiefland High School on U.S. Highway 19 (Main Street) to the Trailhead Park. Onlookers lined both sides of the street.

HardisonInk.com Chiefland city workers and members of the Levy County Sheriff’s Office’s Citizens On Patrol stopped traffic from using the highway with complete success again this year. After the parade, activities in the park continued, including the introduction of the Watermelon Royalty. ~

2015 Chiefland Watermelon Queen Hailey Bason rides in the parade. The 2016 Chiefland Watermelon Queen is Emma Sapp.

Florida Watermelon Queen Felicity Mejeris rides in the parade.

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2016 Alabama Watermelon Queen Madison Laney rides in the parade. ~

Chiefland City Manager Mary Ellzey drives the vehicle to pull the city's float. ~

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Some Chiefland City Commission members and others ride in the parade. ~

2016 Chiefland Watermelon Teen Queen Jaylyn Harvey rides in the parade. ~

2016 Chiefland Watermelon Junior Teen Queen Regan VonStein rides in the parade.

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2016 Chiefland Watermelon Princess Mackenzie Cribbs throws candy to children. 2016 Chiefland Watermelon Petite Queen Shyloh Sills rides in the parade. ~

2016 Chiefland Watermelon Little Queen McKinley Lord rides in the parade.

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2016 Chieland Watermelon Toddler Queen Hannah Osborn rides in the parade.

2016 Chiefland Watermelon Little King Joshua Ruth rides in the parade.

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Newberry Watermelon Queen Shelby Blackwell rides in the parade.

Some of the three-time Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A Softball Champions - Chiefland High School's team members are seen here.

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Another photo of the lovely and talented softball champions.

Head CHS Softball Coach Wayne Weatherford

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Levy County Clerk Danny Shipp waves.

Levy County Supervisor of Elections Tammy Jones and her staff members ride in the parade.

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Levy County Commissioner Danny Stevens walks in the parade.

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Levy County Superintendent of Schools candidate Jeff Edison walks in the parade.

Levy County Commission candidate Matt Brooks walks in the parade.

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2016-2017 Miss Levy County Fair Lily MacArthur rides in the parade.

Roger Damron (left) drives while Levy County Commission candidate Berlon Weeks walks in the parade. Weeks is running in the race against County Commissioner John Meeks who was also in the parade.

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Levy County Commissioner Mike Joyner rides in the parade. Chetley Breeden is running in the race against Joyner. Breeden was also in the parade.

Levy County Superintendent of Schools candidate Jerry Lawrence walks in the parade.

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The Whispering Winds Charter School float

Miss Petite United States Agriculture Paige Praett rides in the parade.

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Nature Coast Middle School (of Chiefland) students, some who are dancers, pause for a moment from their walk in the parade.

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Driving a John Deere tractor to pull the float for Chiefland FFA Alumni is Scott Mills.

2016 Bronson Blueberry Princess Abigail Johnson rides in the parade.

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Junior Miss Levy County Fair Maddison Brice rides in the parade. ~

First Baptist Church of Chiefland was represented in the parade with this Hummer. 'Put on the full armor of God' is noted on the front. Ephesians 6:11 (KJV) notes 'Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' Another church with a strong presence in the parade was the Forward Church of Chiefland.

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Tricia Turner #5 -- an active racer at Bronson Speedway -- is one of the many racecar drivers who was in the parade. FOR MORE PHOTOS, PLEASE SEE THE FACEBOOK PAGE OF HARDISONINK.COM. DO NOT COPY THESE PHOTOS TO FACEBOOK, BECAUSE THE TWO COMPANIES ARE SELLING ADS IN THE SAME MARKET. THESE PHOTOS HERE ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL COPYRIGHT LAW AND ARE ONLY PUBLISHED HERE.