FAIRFIELD – A little rain doesn’t stop the Kiwanis Kids’ Day Parade.

That was the sentiment of Fairfield Kiwanis Kids’ Day Parade organizer John Reeves, commenting on the short-lived showers that visited Fairfield just minutes before the parade was supposed to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. Luckily, the rain only delayed the parade a few minutes and it was able to proceed as normal, from the Fairfield High School parking lot to the jam-packed square.

Fairfield Kiwanis member Daryn Hamilton mentioned that the club was in constant contact with Jefferson County Emergency Management Director Brett Ferrel about the weather conditions, keeping an eye out for any lightning strikes. The one disappointment from the rain is that the combined FMS and FHS band could not march.

“We decided not to let them go because the woodwinds have cork and the rain is really hard on them,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said he was surprised how many people were on the square to take in the parade despite the rain.

“I know the pancake tent was busy the whole time it was open,” he said. “Around 9 a.m., the line was clear down Burlington and around the corner.”

Reeves said Kiwanis sold about 1,700 tickets to the pancake fundraiser that day. He didn’t keep track of the number of floats, but said it was once again an impressive number.

“Last year was the first time the floats were still leaving the high school parking lot when the beginning of the parade was coming back into the parking lot, and we had that happen again this year,” he said.

Reeves has been a member of Fairfield Kiwanis since 2006, and has organized the Kids’ Day Parade for the last five years. He said he’s pleased to play a role in such an important community event.

“People plan their high school and family reunions around it,” he said. “It’s always a very fulfilling thing to be involved in.”

Fairfield Kiwanis awards prizes to the best floats, which compete on factors such as appearance and how they incorporate the theme, which was “Building for the Future” this year. First Baptist Church took home first place, followed by TrafFix Devices in second place, then Girl Scouts in third place, and Fairfield Youth Performing Arts in fourth place.