The skies were blue, the sun was warm, and there was a sea of red as far as the eyes could see—Red Flannel Day 2011 was the perfect ending to two jam-packed weekends of Red Flannel fun. And the royal theme featuring knights was a big hit.
“The Theme “Knight & Day Red Flannels are Here to Stay!” sparked creativity and imagination in all of the floats and events, with a lot of Knights in Shining Armour,” said Red Flannel Festival president Michele Andres.
This year the festival welcomed Tom Daldin and a crew of three from “Under The Radar Michigan,” a television show there to film Red Flannel Day. Andres said the crew arrived in Cedar Springs about noon. Daldin wore a blue shirt, and was “arrested” by the Keystone Kops and put into jail, a great job done by Keystone Dave Barnes! Tom conducted interviews, a historical perspective by Bill Pollock (his parents owned Pollock’s store where the original Red Flannels were sold) and did an interview about the Festival itself with Festival Title Sponsor Tim Mabie of CS Manufacturing. They filmed until the end of the Parade, and Andres said the producer was very excited about the “Sea of Red” downtown just prior to the Parade.
“Tom told me that he loved the positive energy of this Festival, and that in all of the festivals he’s attended, this was the most hospitable and nice. Tom also commented that he loved the historical aspect of 72 years,” noted Andres.
Daldin told Andres that the show would air in June of 2012, and be posted on their website, and probably then be in reruns all summer, great publicity for the Festival next year!
The festival saw some new events this year, including the Celtic highlander games, and the Cornhole tourney.
All events this year (arts and crafts fair, marketplace, etc., were all sold out.
The Parade had over 111 entries, not including the winning cars of the Car Shows and tractors. Sue Harrison graciously donated her time to announcing the Parade again this year.
The car show had over 160 entries, and the fireworks show was also a big hit.
Unfortunately, the Remote Control Airplane demonstration had to be cancelled because of the windy conditions, making it unsafe to fly the model airplanes.
“The all volunteer Red Flannel Board of Directors and Chairpersons did an outstanding job again this year,” said Michele Andres, President. “The weather is always a factor, and determines the financial success. It is a huge undertaking that begins in January of each year, and there is so much that happens behind the scenes that no one really fully appreciates or experiences. As the Festival continues to grow, there’s definitely more leadership needed for many events and would invite everyone to do just a little bit to ensure the continued success of the Festival for another 72 years!”
Planning for the 73rd Festival will begin in January of 2012. Those interested in volunteering should email president@redflannelfestival.org or call 616-696-2662.
Check out results of the Cornhole Tourney, Float competition, highlander games, and other competitions at http://redflannelfestival.org/wp/media/festivalnews/.
