After a delay for rain, Kahite residents marched through the neighborhood with extravagantly decorated golf carts, as individuals with candy in hand for tossing slowly made their way down Nunnehi Trail for the annual Kahite Fourth of July parade.
This year’s theme was “Make Kahite Great,” and included 27 entries.
“Small town USA, that’s really what it is,” Nancy Adams, parade co-chairwoman, said. “It’s an annual event people look forward. ... It’ a very close-knit community and people have their grandkids that come and look forward to it every year. I think that’s kind of something that I’ve gathered from it.”
Last week was a first for Adams and fellow co-chairwoman Mary Kay Hostetler coordinating festivities.
“I really do think it’s everybody working together,” Hostetler said of the parade’s uniqueness. “You call people and they say, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’ I went to the orderly meeting that they had in March and I had all of the different jobs that needed to be done and I said, ‘Please help.’ I passed it out and by the end of the evening just about the entire sheet was filled. Just that willingness to be in it.”
Adams and Hostetler took over for longtime parade coordinators Nelson and Linda Ledbetter, who organized the outing for a decade. Nelson said it was just time for the couple to move on.
“Of course, anything like this you’re putting together, and I’m sure Mary Kay will tell you, you get a lot of support,” Nelson said. “Without support of the neighborhood it just won’t happen. Other people have different ideas and we thought it was time to hand it over to some new folks and see what they did with it. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Everybody likes the parade, as they say.”
Hostetler in time hopes to add more to the parade. She has reached out to local high schools for bands, but without luck yet, she said. Two categories focused on “Patriotic Pooches” were added this year.
“We have a close-knit community,” Gary Mulliner, parade grand marshal, said. “Kahite is probably is probably the closest of all the groups in Tellico Village and we just enjoy getting together. Most of us know most of who’s here. We have 350-360 homes (in Kahite), you know a lot of them and, of course, if you have to do this a number of times you get to know their kids and grandkids and it’s kind of fun.”
Justin Somaini, decked in colonial attire, helped one of his four children with their costume. Justin, along with his children and sister Heather, came to visit his parents, Villagers Su and Jack Somaini. This year’s theme was Alexander Hamilton, one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
“I think it’s getting out and just celebrating the Fourth of July and having a little bit of fun and (riding) golf carts,” Justin Somaini said.
For Justin, creating the float was just as special as attending the parade.
“I think there’s making the float itself (is great), but doing it together,” Justin said. “The kids get involved, everybody gets involved and set a theme, and everybody gets together in order to participate in the celebration.”
Villager Judy Heard came with her husband, Jonathan, and friends Barbara and David Flanagan. The group’s float was “Virginia Gentleman” in honor of bourbon whiskey. All four are from Virginia. Judy and her husband have lived in Tellico Village for three years, and the couple has attended the parade once as spectators. This year they decided to take part in the festivities.
“I just think it’s the patriotism, just the spirit of community — my husband says free liquor,” Judy said, laughing. “But it’s just the whole idea of a community coming together, and so much work has gone into this.”
Jane Lawless brought her four grandchildren to ride in the parade, a first for all of them.
“After seeing it last year it seemed like fun and I thought the grandchildren would like to participate,” Lawless said. “It’s just the spirit of the community is so great out here we wanted to be part of it. ... The theme was ‘Making Kahite Great,’ so we put on our cart we all make Kahite great, and then we’re going to play ‘You’re a Grand Old Flag’ as we go.”
After the parade, Bill Jordan and couple Greg and Dee Russo were presented with Quilts of Valor. A continental breakfast was also provided for hundreds of people.
