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Cairo ‘bears’ elements for parade, auction

Third Annual Cairo Holiday Parade concludes with first Bear Auction

By Colin DeVries

CAIRO — Freezing rain and sleet did not stop the parade from rolling in Cairo on Sunday afternoon.

The Third Annual Cairo Holiday Parade kicked off without a hitch Sunday — save the weather. There were 14 groups that participated in the parade as it marched down Main Street in front of an umbrella-equipped crowd.

The parade started at the Cairo Elementary School and made its way down Main Street toward the Cairo Fire Department. At the firehouse, soup, fresh cookies and snacks were served to the soggy parade-goers. The cookies were donated by the Cairo-Durham Student Council, and Cairo Ladies Auxiliary supplied soup and other refreshments.

Among the floats were: The Cairo American Legion, the Cairo-Durham football team, Cairo Fire Department, the D.A.R.E. program, Cairo Ladies Auxiliary, Girl Scout Troop 1889, Catskill Hose Company No. 1, the Bank of Greene County, Cairo-Durham Marching Band, Oak Tree Windows, Siding, and Roofs, the Cairo Library, the Cairo Town Clerk’s Office, Slater’s Great American and his 1926 REO Speedwagon, and “reindeers” Roxy and Easy with Lucia Rivenburg and Michele Shackley.

Santa Claus also took time away from his workshop at the North Pole to make a candid appearance.

The event culminated with the first-of-its-kind Bear Auction at Gallagher’s Banquet Hall to auction off 10 wooden bears. Each bear was carved by local artists and sponsored by businesses in the Cairo community. County Legislator Bill Lawrence volunteered as the auctioneer.

The Cairo Chamber of Commerce sponsored the auction, which, according to Administrator M.A. Tarpinian, serves as a prelude to the summer’s “Bears and Butterflies” event on Main Street.

Gallagher’s Banquet Hall also hosted numerous vendors marketing local wares and seasonal gift ideas. Photographer J.L. Van Ness had a table set up inside the hall and was enjoying the festivities surrounding the auction.

“I think it’s cool,” Van Ness said regarding the bear auction. She also said that the “Bears and Butterflies” will likely have the same success as Catskill’s “Cat’n Around Catskill.”

“Catskill has done so well with its cats,” Van Ness said, “and one thing we do have here is bears.”

Prints, bookmarks and note cards created by Van Ness are available for purchase on her Web site, www.my3rdeyephoto.com.

Other vendors included Rockmere Farm, 1176 Mountain Avenue in Purling; Grandpa Pete’s gourmet dinner sauces, appetizers and dinners, www.grandpapete.com; Scentsy wickless candles and other scented items, www.scentsy.com/vsherman; Robin Diffendale’s hand-knitted scarves and catnip mice; and Roundtop Cottage Gifts’ liquidated country decor items, 518-622-3593 or 518-622-8239.

The auction concluded with having raised $2,765, and every bear was sold. Each bear was hand carved by local artists John Powell, Hal McIntosh and Alec Alberti. The top-selling bear was “Caught Bear Handed,” sponsored by Slater’s Great American. It sold for $360.

Tarpinian was happy with the turnout for the auction and is excited for the debut of the fiberglass bears on Main Street next summer.

“It was fun,” Tarpinian said. “I’m thrilled for the upcoming bear project this spring … a lot of people thought we should have stayed with the wooden bears but when you look at the big picture, there’s a lot of attention on Cairo and this will give us some exposure and publicity.”

Tarpinian also said that the talent base of artists in Cairo will have a chance to showcase their skills with “Bears and Butterflies.”

The summer event will feature 40 fiberglass bears on Main Street. An upcoming gala will bring artists and sponsors together to choose their bear concepts this spring.

To reach reporter Colin DeVries, please call 518-943-2100, ext. 3325, or e-mail cdevries@thedailymail.net.

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