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Hundreds Turn Out in Farmington to Honor Earmuff Inventor

December 07, 2009 - FARMINGTON -- The 33rd Chester Greenwood parade rolled down Main Street on a chilly Saturday morning, delighting the hundreds of spectators lining the sidewalks.

The annual event honors the town's favorite son and inventor of the earmuff, and this year was one of the biggest and best.

"We had 50 floats in this year's Winter Wonderland theme," Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lorna Nichols said. "We've gotten a lot of national interest, and next year, we'll be featured in the American Profiles magazine that goes into newspapers all across the United States."

Events after the 11 a.m. parade kept many in town for lunch and holiday shopping.

Bangor Savings Bank opened its doors for gingerbread house displays and the chili contest entries. After totaling the votes for each contestant, Nichols declared that the secret blend of spices and ingredients in Galen Dalrymple's venison chili won him the traveling trophy.

"This is my first contest, but my son is in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and he and I always competed with our recipes at family reunions," Dalrymple said. "I wasn't sure about entering, but he said, 'Go for it, Dad.' "

At the University of Maine at Farmington student center, shoppers wandered among booths filled with handcrafted jewelry, candles, knitted scarves and jars of jellies and jams.

"This year, I think we're seeing folks buying more practical gifts," said Will Savage, whose wife, Theresa, was doing a brisk business selling her $9 mittens made from recycled sweaters lined with fleece.

By VALERIE TUCKER, Morning Sentinel December 6, 2009


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