TYNE VALLEY, P.E.I. — There was a rumble of traffic and honking of horns before the streets were suddenly bathed with a sea of colourful floats and a cheering crowd.
Tiffany Ellis perched under the cooling branches of a tree with her miniature schnauzer dog, Rumi, while watching the Tyne Valley Oyster Festival parade inch forward under the boil of the morning sun, Saturday.
“People return home to Tyne Valley from all over the country to see this festival and parade,” said former Tyne Valley resident Ellis, who travelled for the five-day festival from Halifax, N.S., and was the Miss Oyster Pearl of 2007.
“It’s something special and a chance for local businesses and community groups to show their pride. The Hardy family is always one I look out for because they put on a great creative display and are usually near the end of the floats."
Janet Hardy Callaghan, one of the key coordinators behind the entry for Leslie Hardy and Sons Ltd., said interacting with the spectators is the most meaningful part of their experience.
“It’s a lot of fun to see everyone from the community come out to watch the parade, but most of all it’s the interaction with them that sticks in my mind. To see the children quiet, just gazing at our costumes, and seniors’ eyes light up at the retirement homes when we engage them.”
Princess Oysterella and the Ugly Spat Sisters
The theme for the Hardy family this year, "Princess Oysterella and the Ugly Spat Sisters" came complete with ballroom dancing. A pumpkin carriage, kindly on loan from Verna Clark in Kensington, had a princess in an oyster dress with an oyster (glass) slipper. Followed by mice, threads, and a godmother.
A marching band, singers, dignitaries, dinosaurs, unicycles, fire trucks, vintage and modern cars, and cartoon characters were among the multitude of floats.
The 55th Tyne Valley Oyster Festival is a major fundraiser for the community.
Ellis said she has returned to see the festival for 29 years.
“I only missed one oyster festival and that was when I lived away for the year. But the parade has changed a lot since I was a kid. It used to be our little community event, but now it draws people from all over the Island and even farther afield.”
Tina Parise returned “home” with her family and friends from Nova Scotia.
“We come home (Tyne Valley) for the summer every year and enjoy this (festival).”
The parade started shortly after 11 a.m. near the Presbyterian Church and made its way slowly through the steady stream of spectators lining the streets. It ended at Tyne Valley Community Sports Centre, located on Route 12, at 1.30 p.m.
