Despite the rainy weather, the atmosphere at the 25th annual John Henry Days celebration remained festive and jubilant. Music filled the air on Friday and Saturday night, floats made their way through town for the parade and around 50 cars lined up for the car show.
On Friday, the festivities kicked off with Everett Lilly and the Songcatchers filling the valley with dulcet tones. Even though the rain poured on and off throughout the evening, a crowd gathered to enjoy the concert.
Transitioning to Saturday, vendors set up along the train tracks, Trinity Methodist Church provided a pancake breakfast, and preparations began for the parade. At 11 a.m., the parade procession emerged from the Talcott Elementary School parking area and wound through the streets showing off floats, antique cars, tractors, horses and more.
When evening rolled around, The Tams and the 14-Karat Gold band provided a lively performance. Once again, rain-drenched the park, but that did not stop the fun. As soon as the equipment was safe from damage, music flowed freely, and the crowd collectively came to their feet. Dancers quickly made their way to the front of the stage.
On Sunday, the rain continued, but so did the festivities. A multitude of vehicles registered for the car show that followed the annual church services at the tunnel.
Throughout the weekend, members of the Talcott Volunteer Fire Department aided festival officials by directing traffic, parking cars, providing firetruck rides and monitoring the fireworks display. Festival volunteers worked throughout each event as well as weeks in advance. The Oak Grove Church provided concessions at the tunnel all three days of the festival. Multiple local businesses made momentary donations to help make John Henry Days possible.
According to an announcement from the John Henry Days Committee, after a brief respite, planning will commence for next year’s festival.
For more information on the festival, visit the John Henry Days Facebook page.
