Carthage hosts annual festival
Kimberly Feather

Staff Writer

Crafts, music and fun are all incorporated in the eight-day annual Maple Leaf Festival held in Carthage, Mo.

The festivities began on Oct. 10 with Gospel music and a Maple Leaf showcase and ends Saturday with the Maple Leaf Parade, annual pancake feed, hospitality station with free coffee and hot chocolate, a petting zoo, auto show, chili luncheon, ham and bean dinner, marching band competition and a dog show.

Registration for the dog show is 12:30-1:15 p.m., and the show starts at 1:30 p.m. The competition is on the Northeast side of the square and admission is free.

Throughout the week, activities included the Little Miss, Jr. Miss and Mister Maple Leaf Pageant and the Maple Leaf Queen Pageant. Also, a Fun Walk, sponsored by Curves for Women, was held Oct. 13. 

Oct. 11, the Carthage Rotary Club sponsored the Best Brats on the square event and McCune-Brooks Hospital sponsored a baby contest.

A quilt show and contest will be presented at various businesses on the Carthage Square. The public will vote for the winner of the contest.

"I think that the Maple Leaf Festival is tons of fun," said Melodie Maynard, sophomore studio arts major. "I go every year with my boyfriend; it is a tradition."

Leggett and Platt, Inc., and Southwest Missouri Bank sponsor the famous Maple Leaf Parade. The Parade will include area bands, floats, cars and horses. The parade begins at 9 a.m. Entertainment all day on the Carthage Square is promised for Saturday.

"I love going to the Maple Leaf Parade, I think it is a lot of fun," said Adam Boswell, resident of Carthage. "My only problem is I think that it is too early in the morning, maybe they should make it for a later time."

The Powers Museum will be showing an exhibit on Exploring Garden Transformations from 1900-2000. The hours for this exhibit will be on  from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The admission is free.