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Neewollah News: Neewollah Thank You Party
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 Neewollah 2008 - Welcome to "Our Town!"
A Message From Generalissimo Marty Reichenberger
Neewollah 2008…Welcome to "Our Town!" I want to personally invite you to participate in Kansas' largest annual celebration, as hundreds of volunteers work all year long to bring you a fun filled event from October 17th through the 25th in 2008!
'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat', a Broadway musical, will grace the Memorial Hall stage with 3 performances to kick off the nine full days of festivities. The Medallion Hunt; chili cook-off, a Fun Run and 5K race; and a bicycle ride provide active opportunities for everyone the first weekend of the celebration.
On Monday evening, the Queen Neelah talent show begins followed by the coronation of Queen Neelah LXVII on Tuesday night. The Little Princess contest, involving the very youngest girls aspiring to be Queen candidates, is an annual feature for the gala evening.
On Wednesday, the Ottaway Carnival comes to Our Town with loads of games and rides for people of all ages. Food vendors will be set up along Penn Avenue with a smorgasbord of food always to include the favorites: turkey legs, jaffles; corn on the cob; Philly steak sandwiches, blooming onions; caramel apples and apple dumplings; cinnamon rolls; and ice cream. While enjoying the street fare, festival-goers are entertained by local and regional talent, bands and a variety of vocal and instrumental performers from the downtown bandstand. A Great Pumpkin contest for young pumpkin carvers is held; and a free children's show, featuring a ventriloquist, is offered late Friday afternoon.
Parades - the Doo-Dah on Thursday; the Kiddie Parade on Friday; and the Grand Parade, complete with an Armed Forces flyover on Saturday, will draw tens of thousands to Our Town. The Neewollah Arts and Crafts show features spectacular pieces of work from all over the area. A Marching Band festival, held at Riverside Stadium, draws bands from schools throughout the three-state area. The event will be capped off with a Top 40 Country Artist (to be announced soon!) to perform on Saturday night. Sure to be the biggest show EVER to come to Our Town.
Neewollah 2008… Welcome to "Our Town!'
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ABOUT NEEWOLLAH
Neewollah festival (Halloween spelled backwards) began in 1919 as an effort to provide positive activities for kids of all ages in place of the typical Halloween pranks that occurred in the community of Independence, Kansas. In the beginning the events centered on parades, morning, afternoon, and night on October 31. The parades consisted mainly of decorated cars and carriages. Queens and princesses from area festivals rode in the parades, along with our own Queen Neelah who was selected based on votes bought at a penny each. The Great Depression and World War II interrupted the Neewollah celebration but in 1958 four businessmen revived and elaborated on the Neewollah theme bringing it back as a 3-day festival.
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Today Neewollah is the oldest and largest annual festival in Kansas. The city of Independence will grow from a town of 10,000 inhabitants to 75,000 in the final days of the now 10-day celebration. Today's festival now includes 3 parades, a Doo Dah Parade (adult Kiddies Parade), a Kiddies Parade and a Grand Parade. Chili Cook-off, a hometown musical and queen's pageant also add to the festival activities. The main downtown is filled with 30 plus food vendors, a large carnival and bandstand for nightly entertainment. The Arts and Craft show, Great Pumpkin contest along with the Band Competition, Fun Run and Bike Ride provided activities for everyone. A Children's show and Professional Saturday night Entertainment bring a conclusion to the diligent efforts of over 500 community volunteers.
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Queen Neelah LXVI
Morgan Fox
Sponsored By: First Federal Savings & Loan
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Neewollah Sponsors: Neewollah would like to thank all it's sponsors. You can help thank our sponsors by visiting them and thanking them in person. Sponsor List...
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Calendar of Events
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QUEEN NEELAH LXVI
Morgan Fox
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