The Eagle

Marching ahead

Romulus Rotary Club reveals Parade of Lights crowd favorite entries

Thousands of spectators gathered along Goddard Road last Friday to share the excitement of the annual Romulus Rotary Parade of Lights, which opened the 28th annual Romulus DDA Pumpkin Festival.

Parade favorites as selected by online voting were announced by the club members earlier this week. Taking home top honors for live music was the Romulus High School Marching Eagles. Barth Elementary School was chosen as the favorite school entry while the Romulus Flyers were chosen as the favorite non-motorized entry in the parade this year. Kingdom Life Church was honored as the favorite motorized entry, and The Haunted Funeral Home was the favorite in the commercial category. Votes were tabulated from entries on the Rotary Club website, officials said.

The weekend festival took place at Romulus Historical Park and as usual attracted large crowds of residents to the family-friendly event with events and entertainment for all ages. The Downtown Development Authority-sponsored festival takes place every year starting on the third Friday in September and features music, food, crafts and games for all ages, along with a classic car show and a craft and vendor show. Pumpkin painting, Punkin Chuckin and a Romulus Idol competition drew crowds again this year. The event also featured Punkie’s 5K, a run, walk or bike through the city.

Organizers said the festival was a huge success, even with a bit of rain, and drew large crowds during the weekend.