Garfield to roll out May Day action

Minus one of its main helpers, the annual Garfield May Day strikes up this Saturday. The recent illness of the president of the town’s community association, Judy Weiker, had the community in a scramble to fill her position.

Days away from the festival, organizer Jean McCown said she feels just fine about the events coming together.

“We just stepped up,” she said.

The festival features the usual roster of events this year. The Dessert-of-the-Month contest is in its second year and a new theatre act has been added.

First event of the day begins at 6 a.m. with the Boy Scouts breakfast in the Garfield School cafeteria.

The Fun Run will start at 8 a.m. in the school parking lot.

The grand parade begins at 11 a.m. on California Avenue, with grand marshals Ramah Archer and Theresa Hasenoehrl riding in Hollis Jamison’s convertible. Starting at noon the other major festival events, including the three-on-three basketball tournament, food booths, live music, a bounce castle and a silent auction will commence at the city park.

The festival will also mark the first day of the town farmer’s market and spring plant sale in the American Legion building. Local sellers will offer plants, crafts and art. The market runs until Sunday and may continue until all the items in the sale are sold, according to the press release for the event.

Garfield resident Darlene Perkins said she is all a-twitter about continuing to cook for the Dessert-of-the-Month for the winner of the raffle this year.

Participants can buy a raffle ticket at either the Boy Scouts breakfast or the silent auction.

For the winner of the contest, Perkins will make a dessert of their choice each month for a year. Last year’s winner, Judi Stern, made a habit of ordering birthday cakes every few months for her grandchildren.

Home-made cinnamon rolls, fancy colored candies, cookies and other baked delights are included on the list for the winner to choose from each month.

Perkins said another Garfield cook, Katie Young, will also be cooking for the contest this year. Young can make elaborate colored candies.

“It’s like a pie or a couple dozen cookies or a dozen cinnamon rolls. They choose what they want and then I fix it for them on the date they’d like it,” Perkins said.