POWELLSVILLE – Under sunny skies and warm summerlike temperatures, the 19th Powellsville Community Awareness Day attracted another large crowd for this annual one-day celebration.

The highlight of the day-long celebration is the parade down the town’s Main Street.

2019 featured two Grand Marshalls, a pair of the town’s centenarians: retired educator Estella Simons and former businessman and entrepreneur Linton Askew, both 102 years old.

The parade attracts antique and classic car aficionados, who participate in a separate car show after their jaunt through the town. There are also musicians, dancers, marchers, floats, two and three-wheel motorcycles, and of course horses, wagons, and fire trucks.

Following the parade, which usually lasts under an hour, the celebration featured a large gathering on the grounds of the former C.G. White School – now Three Rivers Academy Charter School. At that venue there were food vendors, face-painting, a bouncy-house for the younger set, a car show, basketball competition, bingo for senior citizens, and a gospel celebration with song and dance.

Hattie M. Askew, founder of the Awareness Day, says the idea is to not just celebrate the arrival of springtime, but also to bring folks together to share in the joy of community.

“This has just been a great journey over the past 19 years,” Askew said. “It has meant planning and executing all of our plans to produce this great day in Powellsville.”

Askew is most impressed with how the day-long event has grown over nearly a full score of years.

“It’s been proven to be greater each year,” she added. “We’re just so thankful for all the people who come out, the agencies and other resources within the county who support this and take the time out to join us with this Awareness Day.”