Beautiful spring weather marked the fifth annual Big Parade and Festival that took place last Saturday on Tappan Square.  The event, which draws huge crowds from Oberlin’s town and student body, featured a parade down East College Street followed by an afternoon of activities in Tappan.

“It’s kind of amazing that it all came together,” said College junior Emily Palmer, one of the Big Parade and Festival planners. She was referring to the fact that, earlier in the semester, it was unclear if there would be enough organizers or funding to enable the parade to happen. “I was so impressed by the energy put forth from both Oberlin students and town residents. There were some really fantastic floats created, and a lot of people wanting to help out with the festival in some way or another.”

This year I attended the festivities with an eye for reporting, so I made sure to arrive in time to grab a good spot on College Street to watch the parade go by. By the parade’s starting time at 11 a.m., the streets were lined with Oberlin residents — adults and children alike were eager to see what magic the parade had in store this year.

It turns out there was plenty of magic to go around. Just a few minutes later than scheduled, floats and marchers appeared on College Street. The floats ranged from the jazzercize-themed “Jazzerpat” to the America Reads program float to floats advertising political candidates. Kendal’s precision lawn chair drill team was a crowd favorite.

Town involvement in the Big Parade is one of the hallmarks of the experience. Float-making workshops and materials are offered to anyone interested in participating, and the results are a testament to the spirit of Oberlin. I saw all kinds of floats — the glamorous blue hamster the Glamster, space cowboys, giant whales and pizzas.

Booths at the festival offered a variety of activities, including a kissing booth, free books for children and free coloring. One table collected “memories of Tappan” for a class project, and the variety and sheer number of gathered memories reflected the feelings of community inspired by events like the Big Parade.

One of the most exciting features of the Big Parade and Festival was the dougnut-eating contest. I watched group after group of determined youngsters and oldsters with their hands clasped behind their backs, fighting frantically to finish their donuts before the competition. The donuts — sugared, not glazed — were tied and hanging from string, and participants were not allowed to use their hands or let the doughnut fall.

For those wearied by the festivities, Tappan was equipped with a variety of free refreshments. The line for the grill stretched through the square for the duration of the festival and featured both meat and vegetarian grilled options.

Many of Oberlin College’s co-ops brought their Saturday lunches out to the square, offering even more variety. Free cider was offered to quench thirst and long lines accompanied the cotton candy and popcorn stands.

Undoubtedly one of the highlights for everyone was the kitty box, where four adorable kittens awaiting adoption were fawned over by the crowd. I was especially excited about the kittens and had to resist the urge to steal them all so I would not have to share my petting time with anyone else. After a while the kittens were clearly starting to get a bit stressed out by all of the attention, but they were troopers through it all and will no doubt get snatched up by some lucky people soon.

Palmer recalled the march: “The intersection between Main and College was surrounded by cheering people. It was almost like what I imagine being a celebrity might be like, without all the celebrity drama.”

For me, the thrill of experiencing the parade and festival holds similar appeal. Being a part of such a community-oriented event reminds me what I love so much about the town of Oberlin.

Palmer hopes that “people will continue to make [the parade] happen for years to come.” With the amount of spirit on display this weekend, I have no doubts about it.