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Bassett celebrates its heritage
Miss Virginia Rosemary Willis made an appearance at the Bassett Heritage Festival on Saturday. At left, Jessica Wickline (right) takes a photo of Jasmyn Hamlett with Miss Virginia during the festival.
From funnel cakes to Miss Virginia, the Bassett community had much to see and do on Saturday during the Bassett Heritage Festival sponsored by the Stanleytown Ruritan Club.
Paul Kennedy with Bassett Funeral Service, who sponsored the festival parade with Shirley’s Florist, said that the event was “one of the better ones we’ve had ... it was a big success.”
While he didn’t have attendance numbers, Kennedy said he thought the crowd was larger than it had been in recent years.
Festival-goers got to meet Miss Virginia 2012 Rosemary Willis. She signed autographs for a long line of fans at Bassett Funeral Service. Kennedy said she was a big hit with children, and Willis would stop to have pictures taken with them when she signed autographs for them.
The festival featured more vendors than last year, including crafts, western apparel, funnel cakes, snow cones and floral arrangements.
There also were a lot of children’s rides that were popular, he said.
The parade had between 25 and 35 entries, including the Bassett High School Marching Band and JROTC, Bassett Volunteer Fire Department, Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department, antique cars, new cars, clowns and Ella Turner, 99, riding in a horse-drawn buggy, he said.
“The community came together as a whole to enjoy the day,” he said.
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