By Betty Gandee
The flood of 2016 destroyed many small communities in the area and devastated many, leaving them wondering if their towns would ever be the same. What did this disaster mean for annual events?
Would these things that people enjoyed participating in year after year be a thing of the past? As towns rebuilt, one town was more dedicated than ever to resurrect their town.
The Clendenin Homecoming Festival was organized by a group of local citizens after the 2016 flood, and it was dedicated to resurrecting their town by creating an annual festival to celebrate Clendenin. This festival has grown immensely in the past three years, adding more and more things for the community to enjoy.
The festival is held in June to remember the flood and focus on the good in the community, and they have added several things throughout the year as well, such as Adopt a Meter fall decorating contests, pageant workshops, Christmas pageants and a Christmas parade, and most recently they hosted a river clean up.
With this group taking charge, it has urged other groups to get more involved as well. This past weekend on September 28, the Clendenin Women’s Club held a Fall Festival which included many things to enjoy. Opening ceremonies took place at 9 a.m. and the day wrapped up around 3 p.m. A grand parade full of floats from local businesses, emergency response vehicles, and much more made their way down main street at 1 p.m., tossing candy and goodies to the kids lining the streets. You could enjoy food, crafters, and vendors throughout the day.
