Fairmont vs. Mt. Notre Dame
Miami Valley styles
'Tis the Season Festival
TIPP CITY
Mum's the word at fest
Some 650 mums have been planted or painted on sidewalks, driveways and streets prior to the festival.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
TIPP CITY — Mums — real and not so real — are everywhere as the final touches are put in place for this weekend's 49th Mum Festival.
In recent days, up to 650 mums have been painted or repainted on sidewalks, driveways and streets as part of the Adopt-A-Mum project by Boy Scout Troop 586.
Droesch brothers Dan (left), 15, and Andy, 12, of Tipp City Boy's Scouts Troop 586 paint a mum on a sidewalk as a fundraiser for the Troop and Tipp Monroe Community Services as part of this year's preparation of the upcoming Mum Festival.The 22 Scouts and their parents team up to sell the mums, then paint them using templates allowing for a green stem and flowers of red, yellow, white or a combination.
Mike and Dolores Droesch, in their first year running Adopt-A Mum, said they are happy.
"It's a fantastic fundraiser for us," Mike Droesch said, adding profits help pay for camping activities of Scouts such as their sons, Dan and Andy.
When the painting is done, the work isn't for the Scouts. They also sell cobbler made in Dutch ovens at the festival site in City Park.
Kathy Taylor, director of Tipp-Monroe Community Services, said everything is in place for the festival, which kicks off Friday night with a Cruise-In downtown and opens Saturday with the annual Run for the Mums across city streets.
"We're set. We're ready to run," Taylor said.
Taylor also is in charge of weekend concessions at the City Park. More local businesses are involved in food offerings this year, including Fox's Pizza and Hickory River, and a local church will be offering unique coffees, she said.
This year's festival theme centers on mums, of course, and sports .
Festival President Nick Andersen said the theme, "Mums About Sports," is intended to reflect a love of sports, and appreciation of those who work with young people in local sporting activities.
Grand marshals for Saturday's 10 a.m. festival parade will be the Tippecanoe schools athletic director, Matt Shomper, and all the schools' varsity coaches.
"They are all molding our young people in Tipp City, and we wanted to honor them," Andersen said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 335-4357 or
nbowman@DaytonDailyNews.com.
