Parade, Canal Days set for this weekend
Comet staff report

Delphi has big plans for this weekend with the annual Independence Day Parade on Saturday, and the 16th annual Canal Days festival at Canal Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Delphi Lions Club is sponsoring the parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. Parade marshal for this year will be Bob Walton, parade organizer for the past 13 years.

The parade will begin at the Gerber-Globe Valve parking lot on N. Washington St., follow streets near downtown and return to its starting point. Awards will be meted out at Canal Park after the parade.

Lions activities to coincide with the parade include a memorial ceremony to be held at 9:45 a.m. on the courthouse lawn. During the ceremony, Honor Guard will present the colors and the national anthem will be sung, followed by a rifle salute and the playing of taps.

A fly-over performed by area flight clubs is planned around the time of the parade.

Additionally, the community band is scheduled to perform. Also, the Boilermaker Special will be on display.

For Canal Days, all Canal Park buildings will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, Calvary Fellowship Church will have an outdoor service at the park at 10 a.m., and all are invited to attend.

New this year, on Saturday, the Illinois and Michigan Canal Corridor re-enactors from west of Chicago will present a program at 1:30 p.m. in the Canal Center. Their presentation consists of monologues depicting ordinary people who made the canals a reality. Before and after the performance they will circulate among the visitors,

Talented craftsman and artisans will display and demonstrate pioneer skills both days throughout the park, and there will be a display of Indian artifacts.

Buildings to visit include the canal museum (Interpretive Center), the award-winning Reed Case House, Bowen and Kuns log cabins, and a one-room log schoolhouse.

Children's games and pioneer activities will be offered throughout both days. Take time to shop for handmade crafts, pottery, paintings, books and plants at the Cabin Crafts Gift Shop in the Bowen Cabin.

Narrated towpath walks will be offered at 4 p.m. each day. Historian Mark Smith will also lead two walks related to the canal period. On Saturday, he will narrate a walk along Front Street, with the library as the starting point. On Sunday, he will conduct a walk around the city square, starting in front of the Antique Mall. Both walks will begin at 7 p.m.

Other offerings are horsedrawn carriage rides (Sunday only), pony cart rides and canal boat rides.

A variety of food will be offered at the park both days.