The first weekend in December may not always be snowy, but it is filled with a flurry of activity in Dalton. The 34th annual Dalton Holidays Festival, one of the last festivals of the year in the state of Ohio, was held Dec. 4-5.
With the festival theme of Holly Jolly Holiday, queen Natasha Mangle reigned over the event. The daughter of Ken and Carla Mangle, the Dalton High School sophomore was announced as queen Dec. 2. First attendant was Anna Ressler, daughter of Kelly Ressler, and a freshman at DHS. Nicole Harris was named the festival's Snow Princess. The daughter of Bobbi Jo and Gary Shoup, Harris is a fifth-grader at Dalton, and third-grader Maggie Kinney was named Little Miss Snowflake. She is the daughter of Dan and Jen Kinney. Ethan Farnsworth, a kindergartner at Kidron Elementary, was chosen to be Little Jack Frost. He is the son of Bryan and Sarah Farnsworth. The younger festival royalty were selected on Saturday morning, at Dalton High School.
The high school served as festival headquarters, although many events took place downtown. The annual Rotary breakfast was served at Dalton Presbyterian Church. Busily working in the church kitchen flipping pancakes, Rotarian Gene Boals said the breakfast is a big fundraiser for the club, and will fund a $1,000 scholarship for a DHS student, as well as purchase dictionaries for third-graders and thesauruses for fifth-grade Dalton students. Boals and president John Cumpston said the money also supports global projects for Rotary International. The Rotarians have been providing a festival breakfast for more than 25 years.
The high school gymnasium and hallways were filled with crafters. More than 80 crafters from all over the state attend the festival. Festival co-chair Sandy Hershberger said she and co-chair Teresa Jager have gotten to know the crafters who return year after year.
Saturday also featured the grand parade. Filled with festival queens from around the state, units on horseback, the Shriners, bands, antique cars, tractors, and lots of local groups and businesses, the parade drew a large and enthusiastic crowd, even in the cold weather. Resident June Hiner served as grand marshal. A luncheon for the visiting queens was held at Camp CHOF near town.
Reviving a longtime Dalton tradition, the Honorary Firemen held a special ham dinner for the festival. With help from community volunteers and Boy Scouts, the former firemen served a packed cafeteria, raising money to help area families in need. Former fire chief Garland Smith moved the long lines, seating folks who waited patiently.
For Jager and Hershberger, the festival and all of its events are labors of love. The committee works 10 months a year, and will take the rest of this month and all of January off, then begin planning in February. It takes individuals that have respect for the communitys traditions, Hershberger said, to make the festival a success.
The hard work paid off. Weve gotten quite fond of the people who visit, she added. Hershberger said many out-of-town visitors brave the elements every year and return because they feel it is a well-run event. Hershberger noted the best part for her is to see the visitors, whether they are locals, from out of the area, kids and vendors. Theres never enough volunteers, she added. We can always use more.
The festival also held several competitions, from lighting to baking. Winners included: residential lighting, Eileen Fisher; business lighting, Douglas Insurance; and Holly Jolly Holiday theme, business, Ambolinas. Coloring contest winners were: kindergarten, Sarah Witmer; first grade, Brooke Wenger; second grade, Kiersten Harper; third grade, Michael Miller; fourth grade, James Hershberger; fifth grade, Kirsten Shoup. High school art students who were recognized for their contributions were: Eva Smith, Aleesha Gander, Emma Keller, Candace Barrage, Chelsea Jackson, and Julia Hackett. For the baking contest, best cake, Rich Derksen; best cookies, Joy Lively; bread, Rich Derksen; fudge, Kenny Mangle; candy, Rich Derksen, and Derksen won best in show with a coconut layer cake. For the kids, Agnes Moran was first in the cookie baking and Maggie Ressler second. The childrens best in show award was given to Agnes Moran and the Dalton Learning Center class. Parade winners included the Orrville American Legion, Dalton High School marching band, Carol Koontz baton corps, the DHS percussion drum line, Putt N Stuff, Holy Trinity Church, Dalton Hair Design, Tadmor Shrine, Dalton Scout Pack 229, Kidron Kars, Buckeye Corvettes, and the Geneva Grape Festival.
