FROM ADA ICON - Ada rolls out its red carpet on Saturday, Sept. 17, for the 31st annual Ada Area Chamber of Commerce Harvest and Herb Festival, according to David Dellifield, this year’s festival director.

The outdoor festival featuring over 150 booths.

Highlights:
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – over 150 craft booths on Main Street
• 9 a.m. - ceremony in depot park for the renovated railroad caboose
• 10 a.m. – parade (from Ada school down Main Street to College)
    (parade forms at 9 a.m. at the Ada school)

At Cole Motors parking lot
• Noon – Haley Crouse, Ada HS graduate, performs The National Anthem
• Following National Anthem – crowning of 2016 Harvest and Herb Fest’ queen

Entertainment
1 p.m. – Jim Boedicker and Mike Wright
2 p.m. – The Wild Steelions – steel drum band
3 p.m. – Raegan Cox – America’s Got Talent contestant

Parade
With entries still arriving, this year’s parade will feature many familiar and many new entries and should be one of the largest festival parades to date. Junior Weihrauch of Arlington is the parade director.

Parade entries sampling (not a complete list):
Ada police
Ada mayor
Hardin County Sheriff
Ada VFW color guard
Ohio Northern University president and first lady
Ada High School band
Ada High School cheerleaders
Ada-Liberty Township Fire Department
Community Health Professionals
Alger Fire Department
Hardin County Democrats
Ohio Northern University band
Hardin-Dunkirk Fire Department
2015 Ada Distinguished Citizen of the Year
Ada EMS
Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance
Girl Scouts
Boy Scouts
Findlay Shriners Clowns
Harvest and Herb queen candidates

Craft booths
With booth registration still coming in, vendors include many area crafters featuring several traditional and new crafts, Ada churches, Ada service organizations, Ohio Northern University organizations, Ada school boosters and many home businesses.

In addition, several churches and organizations will have food booths. Several organizations will have raffles for various prizes on Saturday.

As in past years the festival is open to the public with no admission charge. Proceeds promote Ada chamber activities during the year. The craft booth area will fill Ada’s Main Street from Highland to College

Queen candidates
Five Ada High School seniors are candidates for this year’s festival queen. They are:
• Ashley Breidenbach, daughter of Travis and Tracy Breidenbach
• Rielyn Castle, daughter of Cherie and Raymond Castle
• Mara Guyton, daughter of Christine Cavallaro and Steve Guyton
• Olivia Guyton, daughter of Christine Cavallaro and Steve Guyton
• Libbie Milks, daughter of Mike and Beth Milks

Contestants were judged on Sept. 11. Each completed three brief essays on:

• If you were to support a special cause or offer to volunteer for a special organization, which would it be and why?
• Describe three characteristics that make you who and what you are today.
• What would it mean to you personally and to the Ada community if you were crowned the 2016 Harvest and Herb Festival queen?

Renovated caboose ceremony
At 9 a.m., Ada Pennsylvania Railroad caboose 477779, on permanent display in the Ada depot park, will be re-christened. It had an extensive renovation this summer.

The caboose retired from active railroad service to the park in 1989. Today it stands near the historic Ada passenger station depot.

In addition to the caboose ceremony, the Ada depot park is in full fall bloom and has countless flowering plants.