Village celebrates holiday
By RODNEY MINOR, The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
FORT PLAIN - As the rain went away, more people came out to play at the annual 4th on the 3rd Celebration Thursday.
Despite rain showers that soaked Wiles Park, more than 50 people and some vendors arrived by the time the festivities started.
Renee Hotaling, a Fort Plain resident, was one of the first spectators to arrive. Umbrella in hand, she walked as quickly as she could to one of the numerous tents around the pavilion in the park.
"I'm not going to miss this because of some rain," she said.
Hotaling said she attends the event every year and looks forward to seeing the crowds and vendors.
Early on, the crowd was still sparse.
Todd Smith, a volunteer with the Fort Plain Community Activity Council, which organized the event, said more people probably would attend later in the afternoon.
"I think a lot of people are just waiting at home, and they want to see what the weather does before they make a decision," he said.
More people did show up as the rain began to let up, and more vendors displayed their wares. The dunk tank even opened.
Booths had a variety of food for sale.
Representatives from the Fort Plain Central School District class of 2011 had a booth.
Paula Colvin, a teacher at Fort Plain's elementary school and adviser to the class of 2011, was at the celebration with a few of those students raising money for their class prom and senior trip.
Cotton candy, cookies, soda and nachos were among the items being sold at their booth.
"[The rain] will not hurt us too bad," Colvin said. "[The class] has done well so far, and they have a while."
The weather did close some of the events and threatened others.
Jim Katovich, the chairman of the event, said the softball and volleyball tournament had to be canceled.
"More people will be out here tonight," he said. "The people of Fort Plain have shown tremendous support for events like this."
As more people arrived to enjoy the celebration, some walked down from the pavilion to a partitioned section of the park where horses were being put through their paces.
J.D. Winslow and another rider were performing tricks, such as riding while standing on the backs of two horses.
Winslow noted the performance had to be scaled back because of the wet conditions.
Village resident Ginny Hill watched the show.
The performance was an excellent addition to the celebration, she said, even if the weather was not ideal.
"It was very impressive. I hope they come back next year," Hill said of the equestrian performers.
Katovich said the annual 4th on the 3rd celebration has been occurring in Fort Plain for approximately 30 years. It started as a small village event run by a few residents, and has grown every year, he said.
Rodney Minor covers Gloversville. He can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com.
