News From the Harvest Festival
Group Comes Together for Community Event
Posted on 03-12-2010By Kevin Mertz, Standard Journal Staff writer
MILTON — "It brings the community together with a lot of different activities." Those are the words of Nancy Slease, a member of the Milton Harvest Festival princess pageant committee, as she describes why it’s important for the annual festival to continue.
Festival committee members gathered on Monday at Pardoes Perky Peanuts, in Montandon, to pick up 3,000 packs of peanuts. The business has donated the peanuts, valued at $3,000, to the organization as part of a fundraiser aimed at replenishing the festival’s depleted funds.
Dale Kriner, former chair of the event, was charged earlier this month with the alleged theft of $9,326.57 from the organization.
Rose Stitzel, general manager at Pardoes, said company owner Carl Pardoe thought the Harvest Festival was an important event to stand behind.
"We want to help the community," Stitzel said of her business. "We want to pull together with the community."
The packs of peanuts will be sold at businesses throughout Milton. So far, Marlin’s of Milton, Leeser’s Shoe Store and Pizza Town have agreed to sell peanuts as part of the fundraiser for the festival.
"Hopefully it will give us some ready cash," Slease said, noting the committee members are extremely thankful Pardoes has stepped up to the plate to help support the Harvest Festival.
"I’ve been around the festival, probably since the very beginning," Slease continued. "It’s a very important thing for the community."
She describes the event as a homecoming. "A lot of people come back for the Harvest Festival," Slease said.
She, as well as the other Harvest Festival committee members, are more determined than ever to make this year’s event a success, in spite of the recent problems.
"We’re thankful for the community support (we’re receiving)," Sharon Mistysyn, a volunteer with Harvest Festival’s princess pageant committee said. "We need to focus on the future rather than on what’s happened."
Slease added that the entire committee is adamant about moving forward with the festival, which has been an annual tradition in Milton since 1977.
"The people in the town are behind (the Harvest Festival)," she continued. "But we need more help. We are in desperate need for a parade chairperson. If we don’t find one, we won’t have a parade."
Slease said the only year that a parade did not move along Front Street on the final Saturday of the festival was in 2004 when heavy rains from Hurricane Ivan forced the Susquehanna River to spill out of its banks on parade morning.
Joe Mistysyn, another Harvest Festival volunteer, said as many as 10,000 people pack the streets of Milton each year for the parade.
"It’s amazing to come down Front Street and see everything full," he said.
George Woodling, a volunteer with the Harvest Festival committee who helps with the parade, said the parade costs between $10,000 and $12,000 each year.
He said responsibilities of the parade chair include coordinating the bands, parade route, latbed trucks for the parade, the parade entries and making sure the parade steps off in the proper order on the big day.
The committee members stressed that the parade chair does not work alone. Volunteers are available to assist.
Woodling added that he enjoys volunteering with the festival each year.
"It’s a sense of giving back to the community," he continued. "That’s why I do it. I believe in giving back."
Sharon said she does it, in part, because of the many wonderful people she has the opportunity to work with on the parade committee each year.
"It’s a lot of fun," she said. "You meet a lot of people; We start in January and finish in October (each year)."
Slease added that the event is an important one to everyone who’s been involved over the years, even Kriner.
"(Dale) cared very much about the Harvest Festival," she said. "He cared very much for the Harvest Festival. A lot of people care very much."
Joe noted that Kriner has indicated he will pay back the money which he allegedly stole from the organization. However, the committee members do not yet have a solid confirmation on if, or when, that will happen.
Those interested in volunteering with the Milton Harvest Festival, in making a donation to support the event, or businesses interested in selling Pardoes Perky Peanuts to benefit the festival should contact festival Chair Sue Rearick at 713-5761.
Staff writer Kevin Mertz can be reached at 570-742-9671 or e-mail kevin@standard-journal.com.
Parade FLOAT Winners
Posted on 09-23-2009Arrowhead Award
Best Float in the Parade - $150: DANVILLE APOSTOLIC CHURCH
Commercial & Retail Division:
1st Place - $100 - Kuhns Brothers Enterprise
2nd Place - $ 75 - Kramm Health Care
3rd Place - $ 50 - Four Sisters Landscaping
Youth Groups Division:
1st Place - $100 - Little Miss candidates
2nd Place - $ 75 - Cub Pack 3605
3rd Place - $ 50 - Heavenly Angels
Church Groups Division:
1st Place - $100 - United Pentecostal Church, Lewisburg
2nd Place - $ 75 - Watsontown Christian Academy
3rd Place (ties) - $50 - Crossroads Church of the Nazarene
- $50 - Faith Chapel & Trinity United Methodist Churches
- $50 - Comminity Mennonite Fellowship
- $50 - Holy Spirit Evangelical Lutheran Church
Thousands pack Front Street for annual parade
Posted on 09-21-2009
A PARADE FAVORITE - From left, Reyna, 3, and Aaliyah Kirick, 8, of Mifflinburg, and Kaylee Frits, 7, of Sunbury, reach for candy thrown their way by one of the parade participants Saturday in Milton. These girls and thousands of others turned out to see the annual parade, the largest single event of the Milton Harvest Festival. Photo by Jeff Shaffer/Standard Journal.
By the Standard Journal - Used with permission.
Published: Monday, September 21, 2009
MILTON - A splendid weekend culminated another year of the Milton Harvest Festival.
As the theme suggests, there was "A Hometown Harvest." The large community event that draws thousands of people to Milton's downtown did not disappoint and pleasant, near fall-like weather only added to the annual celebration. read more...