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Annie Oakley Days weekend…
Favorite
Daughter celebration packed with excitement
By Bob Robinson
This editor has often said that he thought Annie Oakley was some
fictional character made up to teach little kids good values in the 50s
and 60s… kind of like Hopalong Cassidy and the Lone Ranger.
Then he discovered she was real… her husband Frank Butler was real… and
her goal really was to entertain and teach values to little kids
through the generations. Little kids and maybe even a few adults here
and there.
Garst Museum has a special section devoted to Annie and her
accomplishments that can be seen year-round. Museums don’t do that for
fictional characters. However, it’s the last weekend in July that
brings Annie back to life!
While planning on the part of different committees goes on all year,
the actual “weekend” began Tuesday with the Annie Oakley Shooting
Contest. Nine young ladies vied for the honor of portraying Miss Annie
Oakley 2012 during a 3-day competition. Elisabeth Harless took the
title when she became the sole contestant to hit the target at 105 feet.
Cailin Litten was awarded best costume, while Courtney Osborne was
first runner-up in the shooting, followed by Rachel Francis and Alyssa
Baumgardener. Check out CNO stories on Friday and Saturday.
Beginning Thursday and running through Saturday were annual sidewalk
sales up and down Broadway, including a Farmers Market and special
offerings from a variety of merchants. Kitchen Aid Appliances had
specials that brought in visitors from throughout the Miami Valley.
The Annie Oakley Festival opened Friday with a variety of attractions
and activities, including a Melodrama (written by former Key Club
President and current Ball State student Kent Holmes), Gazebo music,
the Annie Oakley Western Arts Showcase and Historical Bus Tours. The
festival continues through 5 p.m. today.
Saturday morning was packed with opportunities to get involved in the
community with a 5K Run for Breast Cancer Awareness (see story today),
and a “Walk in her Shoes” event that’s always a hoot. The “ladies”
(community-oriented guys dressed in pink with pink high heels) walk
from the City Building at the Circle to Annie’s statue four blocks
south at Broadway and Martin.
Following the “walks” was the annual Annie Oakley Parade… it grows each
year. Entries start at Garst Museum and make their way to the Darke
County Fairgrounds, home of the Annie Oakley Festival each year. This
year’s parade featured the Greenville High School Key Club and County
News Online Teen Scribes among dozens of others.
There was a “hiccup” this year as long time Annie Oakley impersonator,
Loretta Jones, announced she was retiring and this would be her last
year. If you see her, suggest that even retirees keep their fingers in
a few things… like continuing to come back Annie’s birthplace at the
end of July each year.
She might be convinced. If not, she will be missed. Little Miss Annie
Oakley 2010 Lauren Wright said so as she presented her with a rose,
thanking her for her years of service Friday evening following the
Little Miss and Mr. Contest.
A new event that premiered in 2011 is Gathering at the Garst. This year
is themed “Living History… Remembering the War of 1812.” It includes
Cannon Demonstrations from the Mad River Light Artillery Group, Native
American Story Teller Neeake, and a Union vs Confederate Civil War
Skirmish. There is also a variety of musical entertainment, food and
antiques vendors and more. Gathering at Garst wraps up about 5 p.m.
Sunday afternoon.
Keep checking in with County News Online as our volunteers, once again,
are covering the festivities like a blanket. There will be photos and
stories on many of these events over the next couple of days… CNO
extends its thanks and appreciation to those who answered the call of
help!! Dylan Knoop, Dylan Hoover, George Starks, Bev Hughes and Elaine
Bailey. So far.
Also, thanks to Rebecca Braun and her Key Clubbers for organizing their
float; and Naiesha Thobe, Teen Scribe, for organizing the County News
Online float. Both looked terrific and the volunteers represented both
organizations well.
Photos: Annie Oakley Days Melodrama; 5K Run for Breast Cancer
Awareness; Walking in her Shoes; Sidewalk Sales; Prepping for the
Parade; Loretta “Annie Oakley” Jones; Annie Oakley Days Parade;
Gathering at Garst; Annie Oakley Days Festival; Key Club & County
News Online. Photo credits: Elaine Bailey, Beverly Hughes, Dylan Knoop,
Bob Robinson.
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