FLOATING DOWN MAIN STREET — Contestants in the Cutie Contest are also required to participate in the Cutie Parade, which this year will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21. Many of the participants ride on elaborate floats built to transport them down the parade route. Photo by The Papers Inc.

Staff Report

NORTH WEBSTER — The always popular Mermaid Festival Cutie Parade will step off onto North Webster’s Main Street at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21. The parade will help kick off the 77th Mermaid Festival, which will continue through June 24.

Through the years, it has become one of the most enjoyed centerpieces of the entire week. Many adults who grew up enjoying the Mermaid Festival as children plan their vacations around a trip home, so their children can participate and enjoy the festival’s activities like they did as children.

The events take on an almost reunion-type atmosphere as people visit with friends and family they may not have seen for a while. Visitors who come from larger towns often marvel at the small-town qualities of an event that has become a wonderful tradition in North Webster.

The Cutie Parade, directed by the North Webster Lions Club, follows the year’s festival theme. Each year, talented people put together spectacular floats in each of the three divisions. Some children have competed in the Cutie Contest and parade for several years, vying for winnings to help with their future college education.

Spectators often have cameras in hand to take pictures of that special moment during the parade. Many lifelong memories have been made from a child’s participation in the event.

A CD is made available each year with photos of each of the parade’s participants, which is often purchased by those who choose to enjoy the moment and let someone else take care of the documentation.

As the years have gone by, additional rules have been added for the participants. For example, a child must participate in the parade to be part of the Cutie Contest.

The scholarship money is provided by J. Homer Shoop, who died May 21, 1991, through the Shoop Sports and Youth Foundation Inc. The opportunity to earn some of the scholarship money draws many people from around the region to compete. The winners are announced following the Cutie Contest, which is held Friday evening of the festival.