Weathersfield’s sweet way to say thanks

It was the the school
district’s way of showing
appreciation to the
community.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

MINERAL RIDGE — Virginia Jordan and her son Christopher, 6, of Forest Ridge Court were sitting on the curb along state Route 46.

Based on the doubled up plastic bag in Virginia’s hands, they were clearly awaiting something.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Within minutes, the sounds of sirens and a marching band could be heard just over the hill from where they sat.

“Here it comes,” one little girl nearby squealed, as her companions jumped up and down in excitement.

It was Weathersfield School District’s annual Community Spirit Day Parade on Sunday, and hundreds of district residents lined the street just before 3 p.m.

“We came out for the parade, and it’s a nice day,” Jordan said, adding that she just moved to Mineral Ridge three years ago.

She may be a relative newcomer to town, but Jordan knew Sunday’s event was designed “just to bring the community together ... show our spirit.”

Christopher’s favorite part of the parade? “Throwing candy. And eating candy,” he said, smiling.

Candy was the name of the game.

Nearly every car, float and fire truck in the parade had someone tossing candy to the crowd.

Children, some in Halloween costumes, lined the route, bags in hand, awaiting the bounty — and they got it.

There was so much candy that it was more than some kids could pick up before the next handful came their way.

One young man and his mother, stationed in a driveway by themselves, quickly filled up one plastic bag and were well into filling a second long before the parade ended.

A group of young women in a vintage Pontiac in the parade apparently took pity on an old reporter trudging down the sidewalk and tossed him an unsolicited Tootsie Pop.

Moments later, the football team passed on an open wagon float and apparently thought he looked hungry, bombarding him with a candy assortment.

Don and Dorothy Scott of Lincoln Avenue didn’t come for the candy.

The couple were sitting on the steps in front of the middle school, about a dozen yards from where the parade turned on school property.

They were close enough to see what they came for —the parade, the couple said, noting the Community Spirit Day is an annual event.

“We’ve been here for three of them,” Dorothy said.

It’s normally a good crowd, considering the size of the community, her husband added.

The school has held the event for four of the past five years “just as a way to keep the community together and thank them for all their support,” said Weathersfield Superintendent Michael Hanshaw.

He rode near the front of the parade and then stationed himself next to the middle school as the parade participants came buy, offering his thanks to each group.

Many replied by tossing him their leftover candy, and Hanshaw and his entourage soon had a bucket or two full.

“We’re having a Halloween parade at Seaborn [Elementary School] Friday. We’ll pass it out there,” he said.

The beautiful sunny day with the thermometer pushing 80 helped bring out the biggest crowd the event has drawn, Hanshaw said.

Last year’s spirit day had to be canceled because of a storm, he noted.

The Mineral Ridge Alumni saw the day as a way to boost sales of their fundraising for the annual alumni banquet.

Bill Croft of Ohltown-McDonald Road, Class of ’57, and his wife, Carol, Class of ’58, manned one table selling chances on a professional football weekend package to New York for the New York Giants-Washingston Redskins game Dec. 16.

The Crofts’ son-in-law, Mike Sullivan, is a wide receivers coach for the Giants and helped with the arrangements, they said.

Despite the crowd, sales were only “fair,” Croft said, although the group had already raised about $600 for its banquet through earlier sales.

The parade had the high school marching band, firetrucks, floats, school sports teams, vehicles and a group from the Antique Tractor Club of Trumbull County driving three old Farmalls and one Oliver.

The parade even featured Santa Claus riding in a bucket truck, although some parade workers at the end of the route said they weren’t sure how he got into the parade.

The kids didn’t seem to mind the jolly old elf’s intrusion on Halloween, greeting him with cheers of, “Santa, Santa Claus” and, “Hey, Santa.”

“Ho, Ho, Ho” was his standard reply.

As the parade ended, many in attendance began filing into the Joe Lane Sports Complex behind the high school for the annual powder puff football game between the senior and junior girls.

gwin@vindy.com