Results of the 74th annual Healdsburg Future Farmers and 4H parade and country fair came in too late for last week’s issue, but it was without doubt a very successful Memorial Day weekend.
The parade was a return to form for the Healdsburg tradition, which was reduced by COVID for a couple of years between 2020 and 2021. But the May 25 parade was back at full force, as was the FFA Country Fair at Rec Park on May 26-27.
Elsie Allen High School and Cesar Chavez Language Academy bands shared the sweepstakes award for their combined parade entry, and won best band float as well.
Other parade float winners included Fincher Auto Service (best commercial float), Girl Scout Troops 10278 and 10331 (youth non-profit) and Healdsburg Forever (adult non-profit).
Of the car and truck participants, winners included Patin Vineyard Management (antique and classic), Kingsborough Atlas Tree Surgery (specialty vehicle), C & G Landscape and Noble Goat Farm (commercial) and Comite Pochtlan (novelty costume). Best mounted group was Cabalgata Rio Lago.
At the fair auction, the total earned from the hard work of local FFA and 4H students was $810,734. The scholarship total came to $28,000 awarded, including the Joe Rochioli Memorial Scholarship and the Jim Salomone Memorial Scholarship. Of this total, $20,500 was for graduating seniors and $7,500 for continuing education applicants.
The Barrel Auction brought in $3,200, and the Cake Auction scored a total of $11,640 for the 51 cakes entered. The scholarship cake alone earned $325.
Winners of the Sir Rusty Raffle were Larry Solomon and Rob Scates (both winning a $500 gift card) and Jackie Sellards (winner of freezer-ready lamb).
Susie Garcia, co-treasurer of the Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair, credited the impressive totals to “tremendous support from an amazing community for our long lived traditional HFFCF.”
