Sturgis Falls ~ "There's No Place Like Home"

We spent last weekend visiting family and enjoying the festivities at the annual Sturgis Falls Celebration in my hometown.  It's been several years since we have been able to make it back. It's always loads of fun & filled with lasting memories.

Like all good festivals, there's a parade of course.  My Sister, her boyfriend T, and my nephew P were also able to come for the weekend.  It's been too long since we were all together!

The theme for the weekend was "There's No Place Like Home", so there were several super cute Wizard of Oz themed floats.

The kids loved to see their favorite Panthers, "TC" & "TK" in all their Purple & Gold glory.

And of course, no proper Mid-Western parade would be complete without a few John Deere tractors.

During the quintessential "down-time" between floats, there is bound to be a little silliness.  :)

And of course, we can't forget the treats!  For safety reasons, people are no longer able to actually "throw" candy.  But that certainly did not stop them from walking close to the curb and literally handing out goodies to the kids.  Sure, there were the usual Tootsie Rolls and suckers. But water bottles, snack-size pudding cups, packets of sunflower seeds, paper fans, crowns and numerous coozies ended up in their little hands before the end of the parade.  It's amazing to me the creativity of some people.  WOW!  Their favorite by far was the full sized Popsicles!

The highlight of the parade, for us, had to be the Budweiser Clydesdales.  They truly are quite a majestic site to see!

After the parade, we all headed back to the house with the intention of cleaning up and heading back down to enjoy the festivities.  However, once there, we decided that there really is "No Place Like Home" and ended up just staying put.  The kids took off outside to play games, while the adults lounged on the patio visiting and enjoying the gorgeous weather.

More family stopped by for a visit, and eventually a few decided to go tour a local dairy farm (Honey & Miss B included . . . more on this a little later).  Those that stayed behind continued to relax and chat while the younger boys decided to bust out a sprinkler toy from their "younger" years.  This Mickey water toy has been around since C was just a little sprout.  This goes to show you that some things never get old no matter how "big" you may get.

We finished off the evening with tons of yummy food, recounting many stories & memories of us kids growing up  (some more embarrassing than others) and genuinely just enjoying the time together. It was so much fun to all just hang out.  :)

It may have been a pretty relaxing day by definition, but when the sun finally set . . . everyone just crashed.  I think that's a sign of a successful day.  :)

Sleep tight...