COPAKE — Townspeople started to gather around the Clock Tower, on the steps of the General Store, along Main Street and Route 7A, unfolding their chairs and chatting with friends and neighbors about the parade to come.
Saturday, Aug. 17 marked the culmination of a yearlong celebration of the town’s founding 200 years ago with a parade that Bicentennial Committee Chairwoman Kelly Nardin said would be the largest parade in Columbia County this summer.
The General Store sold its last sandwich, but ice cream sandwiches and fudgsickles were on sale in front of the Community United Methodist Church.
The parade itself was assembling at the firehouse on Center Hill Road and as the clock struck 3 p.m., the first glimpse of the marchers appeared in the distance.
A cavalcade of public officials on foot and in cars preceded a procession of emergency vehicles, people on horseback, on tractors, front-end loaders, and what seemed like innumerable golf carts.
State Sen. Michelle Hinchey (D-41) and Congressman Marc Molinaro (R-19) walked and waved behind a car carrying the town board, including Supervisor Richard Wolf.
Fire and emergency departments represented included Copake, Hillsdale, Craryville, North East, Millerton, Taghkanic and Egremont, along with many businesses and organizations and churches. There were marching bands and floats among the 60 participants.
The parade advanced along Main Street and looped back to the firehouse. The day was capped with a party at Catamount.
Photo by John Coston
Right to left, Ian Wold, Agathe Wold, Robin Williams and Estella were among the crowd at the parade in Copake Saturday, Aug. 17.
