Sugar Mound parade, vendors, shopping make for eventful weekend

Make mine a double scoop, please! Shelby Murray, city clerk for Mound City and float-builder extraordinaire, pilots her ice cream "truck" down Main Street during the Sugar Mound Arts & Crafts parade on Saturday, Oct. 11. The parade had more than 60 entries, including bands from five different school districts. ( Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal)

By Roger Sims

rsims@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – By the time the gates of the 2025 edition of the Sugar Mound Arts & Crafts Festival had opened on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 11, traffic had already been backed up at the Linn County Fairgrounds for an hour. Shoppers clamored to get into the booths early to buy decorations for the upcoming holidays or gifts for friends and loved ones.

Meanwhile, a quarter mile away, area residents were preparing for the largest annual parade in Linn County. A fleet of vintage World War II Jeeps, floats carrying everything from athletes to dance and cheer team members, an antique bandwagon, old cars, hot cars, old hot cars, men and women on horseback and no less than five area high school bands – including those from Uniontown, Crest, and Osawatomie – were included in the nearly 80 entries in the parade.

Toward the beginning of the parade, the traditional maple leaves dance down Main Street,

Toward the beginning of the Jayhawk-Linn Marching Band followed the color guard comprised of members from the American Legion Hewitt New Post  No. 248 from Mound City. The color guard halted in front of the announcer on Main Street at Fifth, the marching Jayhawks play the National Anthem, and the parade was on.

At the fairgrounds, at the Jolly Market Boutique set up in the gym of Jayhawk-Linn High Schools and at the pop-up kiosks along the parade route business was brisk. By noon food vendors at the fairgrounds had lines blocking roadways.

Centerville Community Church volunteers quickly fill orders for their now-famous walking tacos. At noon on Saturday the booth's waiting line was more than 20 people.

The second day of the festival saw a busy morning, but some merchants reported fewer customers in the afternoon. By closing time at 4 p.m. all the vendors hurried to tear down their displays and begin looking toward the next art and crafts show.

These animated marionette animals drew the attention of young and old alike. They were being sold by the same folks that operate Best Sole LLC in La Cygne.

Shoppers haul out holiday decorations by the wagonload.

Festival organizers provided bleachers for weary shoppers to eat and rest their feet. Meanwhile long lines at the food booths. upper right, restrict the roadway.

A young girl plugs her ears as a modified stock, and apparently mufflerless, car revs its engine during the parade. An relative of the owner said the car's engine cost in the upper five-figure range and the engine if equipped properly could reach about 1,700 horsepower.

Mound City Historical Society's vintage band wagon made a parade appearance with Linn County Fair Queen tossing out candy.

The Prairie View Buffalo Fighting Band does its choreographed moves while playing the theme song to "Hawaii 5-0." The band will be competing at the Baker University Marching Band Festival in late October.

More photos from the weekend: