The soggy weather the past couple days won’t last through Saturday and the Ellerbe Farmer’s Parade scheduled should go on without any problems, organizers say.

The Ellerbe Farmer’s Day Parade is a yearly event in downtown Ellerbe to kick-off Farm City Week in Richmond County, a week-long observance of the county’s agricultural heritage.

“It’s a good time for friends and family to get together and show off,” said Amy Yaklin, acting director of the Richmond County Farm Service Agency and parade board member said. “It’s down time for farmers after the harvest is over.”

Yaklin said that more than 3,000 people packed the downtown area of small town Ellerbe and expects to see just as many this year.

“There’s lots of places for people to stand and watch the parade,” Yaklin said as the parade begins on Page Street and winds down on Ballard Street near Ellerbe Junior High.

This year’s parade is expected to have as many as 90 parade entries.

“We may have more, sometimes people just show up and bring their cars and tractors,” Yaklin said.

Yaklin says that everything from parade floats, to classic cars, tractors, marching bands and, “all the usual entries,” are anticipated.

“Afterwards people can stick around and enjoy the vendors,” said Leeann Crump with the Richmond County extension office.

Vendors will stake their claim and sell their goods after the parade. Craft vendors, churches, Millstone Men and Veterans Affairs will have booths for parade-goers to partake in once the parade ends.

Additionally, there will be food vendors and Christmas wreath vendors.

“Right now we have about 10 or 12 vendors,” Yaklin said. “It’s about the same as last year.”

Vendors will set-up their booths prior to the parade.

Crump also said that Time Warner will be taping the parade on Saturday which is set to begin at 11 a.m. and lasts roughly 45 minutes to an hour,.

Farm City Week will continue into the following week with a Farmer’s Luncheon on Nov. 23 and wraps-up on Nov. 24 with a banquet at Cole Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

The week-long celebration began in 1955 to express the agricultural heritage and reconnect the rural and urban areas of Richmond County.

n Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.