Adena Heritage Days names queen, grand marshal
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ADENA -- The 26th annual Adena Heritage Days Festival queen and grand marshal have been named.
Tom Yakubowski was selected as grand marshal, while Millie Parish was named the festival's queen.
Both Parish and Yakubowski are members of Adena High School's Class of 1958 and will be returning from Akron to Adena to be honored during the festival.
The festival is scheduled for Aug. 7-8 at the Village Greens.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of this year's Heritage Days. I look forward to making some comments on the 8th," Yakubowski said.
"Little Adena is very special to both of us, and we're just happy to come back and be a part of the program."
Parish said she is honored to have the opportunity to serve as the festival's queen.
"It's an honor because I lived here for over 50 years before I moved to Akron," Parish said. "It's an honor to be here and I get to ride in a horse and buggy during the parade and that's wonderful."
The festival parade will be held on West Main Street on Aug. 8 beginning at noon. Parish will ride in a horse and buggy, while Yakubowski will ride in a convertible.
The two-day festival will include live music, food, a car show, inflatables, a cornhole tournament and a veterans ceremony.
Festival Treasurer Shari Friend said that while some surrounding communities have seen their festivals end, she has no plans of slowing down.
"We don't plan on stopping as long as I'm here. I'm 80 years old and I'm still going," Friend said. "Plus with it being the 250th year anniversary for America, we're trying to make it special."
Yakubowski said he is looking forward to returning to Adena for the festival.
"I loved growing up here and love coming back to see my friends," Yakubowski said. "It's a special town and a great place to raise children in."
Friend said the Aug. 7 activities will begin with opening ceremonies, a prayer and the national anthem. She added that local veterans will host a reading of a poem titled "The Old Ragged Flag."
"It's very, very emotional, let me tell you, they did it for the Lions Show and tears just ran down my cheek," Friend said. "I'm a veteran and it really hit me hard."
The Lions Show is an annual fundraising event hosted by the Adena Lions Club that was held in April.
Friend said the entire festival will take place at the Village Greens except for the car show, which will be held Aug. 8 at the Adena Methodist Church. Car registration will be held from 4-6 p.m. and costs $10. The car show will run from 4-8 p.m., with proceeds benefiting the Adena Heritage Days Festival.
The festival also will include silent auctions, door prizes, 50/50 raffles and local craft vendors.