— PAUL HOWE / For the Eagle Times
NEWPORT — It was another festive, fun-filled and community-strong, cold-weather celebration for the 102nd Newport Winter Carnival, which ran from Thursday to Sunday.
Folks enjoyed a flipping good pancake breakfast on Saturday, which was put on by the Rotary Club at the Church of the Epiphany. The consistent turnover of diners kept rotary members busy in the kitchen.
On the Newport Common, food vendors were setting up for the many activities and anticipating the parade.
The parade kicked off a little after 11 a.m. on Saturday, with Newport police leading the way.
Two highlights of the parade included the presentations from Full Circle Farm of North Newport, a therapeutic horse farm, and the Road to Independence Aurora Bakery in Newport.
Both farms got into the spirit of the carnival theme with their flavorful displays of “Life is Sweet”.
Full Circle Farm horses sported large cookies made from various materials, with walkers dressed as M&Ms, a carton of milk and a chef. Aurora Bakery parade participants were dressed as bees and beekeepers, one person impersonating a molasses cookie and a donkey bearing a basket of baked goods.
The float from Richards Free Library was a life-size gingerbread house with huge, striped lollipops. Someone had dressed as a moose to represent the Newport Moose Club, No. 1236 and Daughters of the American Revolution also were represented.
No one was going to rain on the parade of newly crowned 2018 Newport Winter Carnival Queen Alia Gonzalez. Beaming, she graciously waved to the cheering spectators.
First runner-up, Victoria Burroughs and second runner-up Jazzy Durgin followed as well as the other queen contestants, which included Jasmine Patenaude, Emily Guyett and Gracie Brown. Each vehicle carried a few of the princes and princesses from the queen’s pageant.
Fourteen-year-old Josh Sharron of Newport, won the Dozen Donut Challenge on the common, consuming his box faster than his competitors. It wasn’t until halfway through, PJ Lovely, director of the Newport Recreation Department, offered them water to help wash down the dough.
Sharron received a medal with the logo of the 2018 Newport Winter Carnival.
“I was hungry and the water helped to wash it down,” he chuckled.
The Axeman Challenge drew a huge crowd as usual, intently watching men and women exert muscle and skill. Scott Goodspeed of Lempster won for the seventh year in a row.
“It gets harder every year,” he laughed, trying to catch his breath. “I’m getting older.”
He admitted he gets plenty of practice at home cutting wood with an outdoor boiler.
The weather was mild Saturday and after all the traffic on the common, the ground became sloshy.
“The weather brought everyone out and it’s always good to see community,” said Lovely. “It’s good to get people out in the winter and it was a great success.”
Other activities included games, sports, a mystery dinner at the Moose Club, photo contest and a special dinner at The Old Courthouse Restaurant, horse drawn wagon rides and a variety of other events.
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