Text and Photos By Stephanie Loney

Although the cliche saying “rain on my parade” is a figurative statement, last night the clouds opened up and literally rained on the Cutie Parade. However, despite the weather, the parade went forward and all entrants appeared before the judges.

The parade started shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Main Street just as planned.

It rained off and on during the day, even right before the parade, but with a seeming gap in the bad weather, the North Webster Lions Club decided to hold the event. They prefer not to use rain dates if at all possible.

The rain held off through Bryce Lippe’s performance of the national anthem and the first few entries, but then started to downpour again. Once again, it let up during a section in the middle, then continued pouring until the end.

Due to the rain, the announcers and all those helping with the parade encouraged the contestants to move as quickly as possible past the judges’ table. Because of this, the parade concluded less than an hour after it started.

The Cutie Parade officials will announce the winners at the Cutie Pageant, which will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at the North Webster Community Center. They will award educational bonds to each child placing in the top four of the walking unit, hand drawn unit and motorized unit. Parade contestants between the ages of 4 to 6 are eligible to compete in the the Cutie Pageant in which they have the chance to win more bonds.