Heritage Festival returns to downtown Henderson on Saturday

By Jeremy Twitchell

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 | 11:45 a.m.

One of Henderson’s longest-standing traditions goes on Saturday with the 56th installment of the Henderson Heritage Parade and Festival on Water Street.

The parade, which has been an annual event since Henderson’s incorporation in 1953, has in recent years grown to include a free community breakfast with the mayor and City Council, a car show and an all-day festival celebrating cultures from around the world.

The highlight of the day is the parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. on Water Street, proceeding from Ocean Avenue to Victory Road.

“This parade is very important to the community because it’s been around for so long,” Henderson Cultural Supervisor Annette Mullins said. “A lot of people look for it each year because so many of them grew up with it.”

The city has received 60 entries for the parade and, with a few last-minute entries still expected to trickle in during the final days, should come close to last year’s total of 72 entries, organizers said.

The day will begin at 8 a.m. when Mayor James B. Gibson and the City Council host a free community breakfast on the lawn of the Henderson Convention Center, 200 S. Water St. The food will be free, but the city is asking for donations to HopeLink, a non-profit agency that helps needy families.

HopeLink has aided the city with countless volunteer hours and faithfully served the community for years, Mullins said. The city saw the breakfast as a chance to return the favor at a time when donations and government funding for HopeLink are down, but need is high, she said.

“They partner with us and support us in some events, so it’s always nice to be able to give back,” Mullins said.

The parade will follow from 10 a.m. to noon, and the festival will kick off on the Events Plaza behind the Convention Center at 11 a.m.

Mullins said there will be two stages of live entertainment and food vendors representing more than a dozen cultures. Artisans from cultures spanning from the Ukraine to Hawaii will be selling their wares and demonstrating their crafts inside the Convention Center.

At the conclusion of the parade, another long-standing tradition — the classic car show — will begin along Water Street.

In one place or another throughout the day, there should be something for everyone, Mullins said.

“It’s a great family event,” she said. “Besides the parade, there’s the festival, where we’ll have entertainment and food vendors from 15 nations. You can try one or you can try them all.”