History on parade

Tractors and trout take to the streets

Tractor Parade: a century of farming in Sullivan County

CALLICOON, NY — In this, its 13th year, the Callicoon Tractor Parade will come in a special Bicentennial edition. As part of the Sullivan County Bicentennial Celebration, the parade, which steps out at 12:00 noon on Sunday, June 14, will have a special focus on farming families that have been active for generations and the tractors that have served them. A special parade leader will honor the occasion: a work horse and plow, the predecessor of the modern tractor, brought by Butch Peters. The end of the parade in contrast will be the combine, operated by the Kays farm family.

The tractors themselves, some of which date back a century or so, and the people riding them, also represent a big piece of the county’s history. One of them, for instance, will be Betty Mae Baker of Cochecton’s Friendly Acres Farms, born in 1929 and riding a tractor from the 1950s, about whose life grandson Dennis Baker recently wrote a book (visit blurb.com/books/711284 ).

The day will begin at 7:00 a.m. with the Callicoon Fire Department pancake breakfast at the new firehouse on Route 97, which will be available until about 11:00 a.m. A shuttle van will be provided to bus people between the old firehouse, the Youth Center and the new firehouse, thanks to Stepping Out Tours.

There will be a new tractor parade T-shirt design and shirts will be on sale during the parade in front of Klimchok Real Estate and following the parade on the Youth Center field.

The Callicoon Post Office will issue a special cancellation stamp honoring the parade. The postmaster will be in town during the parade selling the special envelopes that will commemorate the day. Proceeds from both of these sales all go to the Youth Center.

The end of the parade will signal the beginning of the chicken barbeque at the Youth Center field, where all the tractors will be lined up on display. Miller’s Barbecue of Walton will once again put on the barbecue, along with the Youth Center’s hot dogs on a bun.

The Delaware Youth Center is the sponsor of the parade and provides the many volunteers that make it possible.

For more information email kathleenlangley@gmail.com.

Trout Parade: Manor celebrates a double Bicentennial

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — It’s not just Sullivan County that’s celebrating a 200th birthday this year; so is Livingston Manor, and its annual Trout Parade this weekend will give it a great opportunity to party. The parade steps off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 13 on Main Street, featuring a variety of wildly wacky and imaginative trout-themed floats and costumes. The Catskill Puppet Theatre will be marching with classic creations from hummingbirds to a huge bear, and dozens of Basset hounds dressed as pirates will waddle down Main Street. Three groups that recently garnered Creation Awards for their winning float and parading ideas will be featured: 4H of Sullivan County, the Livingston Manor Presbyterian Church and Fox Willow Farm.

To get a close-up view of some of the extravagant floats, puppets, hounds and horses, the public is invited to join Renaissance Park (at the stoplight on Main Street) for special Bicentennial events immediately following the parade. Attractions at the park will include Johnny Darling Tall Tales, fly-casting with Mike Canazone, a special guest fly tyer, face painting and live music by the river.

The Trout Parade is a Livingston Manor Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event that raises funds to benefit the Livingston Manor Central School’s arts and music programs.

For more information visit troutparade.com/ or call 845/439-5507.