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ENLARGE
Erin Deturck, a veterinarian from Garden Valley Veterinary Hospital in Windsor, and her dog, Beefcake, dressed as characters from “The Wizard of Oz,” entertain children lining the streets of Windsor during the Harvest Festival parade on Monday. Beefcake was popular as Toto even though he was way too big for the costume.
By Sherrie Peif
speif@mywindsornow.com
With four children and 12 grandchildren, it takes some pretty early rising for the Zach family to find enough room along Walnut Street to gather every Labor Day.
They should know, they've been coming to the annual Windsor Harvest Festival Parade every Labor Day for the last 20, Susan and Dennis Zach said.
"We came even before we moved here," Susan said. "The bands are my favorite."
This year's parade themed: "Windsor-Working Together To Rebuild" featured 96 floats, bands and other entries aimed at rebuilding a community torn apart three months ago by a tornado.
"Everybody's in a good mood and it's just fun," Dennis said. "This is still a small town. We like Windsor, and we always have a good time."
Although the Zachs moved out of Windsor a couple of years ago, they still have two children there, and their other children who live in Fort Collins and Denver also come back to join in the fun.
The parade, which drew around 15,000 people, stretched from 1st and Walnut streets west to 7th and Walnut streets and then south to 7th Street and Eastman Park Drive. It lasted about 75 minutes.
Arturo Loya, who has attended the parade for the past 10 years, also knew the importance of starting early to get a good spot. Loya, who with his three children set up at the corner of Walnut and 5th streets, threw blankets out the night before to make sure he had a nice place to relax.
By 8 a.m. he, Antonio, 6, Elisyo, 8 and Alana, 5, were all enjoying cinnamon rolls sold by First United Methodist Church and preparing to wait out the two-hour start for the parade.
"I think it's the candy," Antonio said when asked what his favorite part of the parade was.
Although not all attending were old pros at staking out their spots, it still worked out for most to get a good seat.
Eika Haas, who has lived in Windsor for three years, had never been to the parade before. But this year, after starting her morning off at the annual Lion's Club pancake breakfast, she headed over to 7th Street about 8:30 a.m., still able to find two nice spots under a tree for herself and her husband.
"This is kind of neat," she said. "I was surprised to see people already had stuff out. I had no idea what to expect. I'm excited."
