On August 7, 1999 at 11:00 AM we kicked off the biggest parade in the history of the village of Kingston. We celebrated the village's rich history of 325 years and the 75th Anniversary of the founding of The Kingston Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.
The bands provided a diversity of music, and had the crowds cheering along the entire parade route. For a complete list of the musical groups which participated in the parade you can check our our Here's the list of bands! web page.
The parade line up was also well received by the enthusiastic crowd. We were overwhelmed with responses, and the turn out the day of the parade was beyond our expectations. We have a listing of organizations who participated, presented in alphabetical order for easy reference, which you can check out on our page of Kingston 1999 Parade Marching Units.
Our plans for after the parade were well attended by marchers and parade watchers. Everyone joined in the fun as the hot dogs and hamburgers were devoured, the ice cream was savored, and the ice cold drinks soothed many a parched throat.
Eastwind Bluegrass Band kicked off the entertainment at the firehouse with a very upbeat set which got more than one set of feet a tappin'. Then it was time for the Steel Drum sound from the Caribbean Islands as Jah Pan took the stage. Wow! The crowd took no time at all to get into the cool sound of the Steel Drums and the Island beat. Things were really rocking all afternoon.
Later, the same evening, the Kingston Presbyterian Church sponsored a Community Chicken Barbecue. They sold over 300 tickets for the barbecue and had to make an emergency run for more food before the barbecue was even close to being over. Nothing like a parade to build up a large appetite! The church lawn was packed with people for hours as neighbor visited neighbor, and everyone visited with our guests from the other Kingstons!
Our plans for the evening were to have a Disc Jockey provide music at the firehouse starting at 8:00 PM. When we said "everyone is invited to join us in closing the day long celebration with dancing and music." we never expected the crowd which gathered throughout the evening. Our firehall was packed to overflowing, and the party spread to the Engine Room, and surrounding area. We only hope all of our neighbors were part of the party Saturday night, because we sure did raise "some ruckus" that night.
The Kingston Volunteer Fire Company Number 1 wishes to express our thanks to everyone who made this daylong celebration the huge success which it was. Everyone who pitched in and lent a helping hand was a much bigger help than you might ever imagine. Your help was instumental in making this day enjoyable for each and every one of our volunteer firefighters. Thank you!