SUPERHEROES, princesses, greasers, zombies and pipe bands all celebrated together on Saturday, as the Sapphire City Festival wrapped up with a parade down the main street and finale in Campbell Park.
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Colourful balloons and streamers filled the town as floats joined vintage cars and walkers. Indigenous, Chinese, Irish, Tongan and Vietnamese cultures were on display, and many walkers wore their traditional dress.
Students from local schools, emergency services and air force cadets travelled alongside the Festival Queens and Princesses.
“A lot of people put in a huge amount of time and effort,” publicity officer Peter Caddey said of the floats.
“Everybody did themselves proud,” he added.
The parade brought the festivities to Campbell Park for the Festival Finale, where approximately 2500 people celebrated.
The annual duck race was a hit once again, despite the stubborn river. When the ducks headed in the wrong direction, a team of dedicated Rotarians carrying leaf blowers and wearing fluffy duck costumes helped move them along.
“It was quite a funny sight,” Peter said.
Member for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall, Member for New England Barnaby Joyce, Senator John Williams, and Inverell mayor Paul Harmon, joined the Queens and Princesses on stage to crown the Festival’s new ambassadors, and thank the community for their involvement.
Local hairdresser Mikaela Hills was crowned Queen on the night, with the Princess title going to Mackenzie Emerson of Inverell High School, and Junior Princess to Holy Trinity’s Prue Ticehurst.
As the sun went down, moths and children danced along to Brother Fox’s mellowed-out tunes, locals filled up on fairy floss and sausages, and children gleefully slid down the jumbo Spongebob Squarepants slide.
Everybody did themselves proud.
- Peter Caddey
The audience oohed and ahhed as fireworks exploded seemingly right above their heads to finish off the night.
Next year’s celebration, which will be the 60th anniversary of the Sapphire City Festival, is already being planned, and the committee hopes it will top all previous years.
Peter said that although they are in the very early stages of planning, the committee hopes to grow the parade and is looking for a big-name act for next year. Peter welcomed anybody who wanted to help plan next year’s event.
“We’d love to have some extra volunteers and fresh blood on the committee. It would be wonderful,” he said.
“We want it to be the biggest and best it can be.”
Click HERE to find the gallery of the Sapphire City Festival Parade and Finale.
