FARMINGTON – Dig out the earmuffs, the warm clothes and your chili taste buds – Chester Greenwood Day is coming soon.
One of Farmington’s most anticipated annual events will take place for the 29th time on Dec. 3, starting with the Chester Greenwood parade at 11 a.m.
Though the exact number of parade floats is unknown until the day of the parade, it promises to be as good as ever, with the first prize float winning its creators $225, according to Laurie Blake, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.
Clyde Ross, donning obligatory earmuffs, will once again portray Chester Greenwood, the town’s most famous inventor who, in 1877, received a patent for the now iconic ear warmers. Ross has been playing Greenwood since 1986.
But Greenwood will not be the only “celebrity” to grace the streets of Farmington that day.
Surrounded by 10 Oompa Loompas and the five child characters from the tale “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Willie Wonka will be portrayed by “a very prominent person,” according to Anna Lyon, marketing director for Franklin Savings Bank, which is sponsoring the float.
The bank plans to hand out Hershey’s chocolates wrapped with Willie Wonka wrappers and numbered golden tickets. A raffle drawing at the courthouse after the annual Chester Greenwood flag-raising will yield prizes such as real gold coins, savings bonds or a “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” DVD, among others. Winners will need to be present to win, Lyons said Tuesday.
“I think it’s going to be really fun,” Lyons said. “It’s fun to do this; you create your own little world.”
The chamber’s Blake said members of Mt. Blue High School’s jazz band will also be appearing in the cavalcade for the first time.
“Everybody loves the parade,” she said Tuesday. “And don’t forget to wear your earmuffs,” she added.
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