Romeo Peach Queen Cortney Spiegel and Peach Queen runner-up Elizabeth Cusick wave to attendees of the annual Peach Festival Floral Parade on Sept. 1. Source photo by Matt December

This year more than 200,000 people attended the Michigan Peach Festival of Romeo, Schocke said, in great thanks to the weather.

“The craft show was good, the fly-in was good, all of our projects worked out well,” said Schocke. “There were big crowds everywhere. Everything worked out really well.”

This year’s Peach Festival, which took place Aug. 28-Sept. 1, also featured the first time that Schocke served as the grand marshal for the Floral Parade.

“I saw a lot of people,” he said. “I really had a great time.”

Aside from the successful 2008 Peach Festival Floral Parade, which featured dozens of floats and walking groups from many different organizations and groups, the Peach Festival also featured two other successful events in downtown Romeo in the Children’s Parade and the annual night festivities which include the bed race and night parade.

The 2008 Children’s Parade, held on Sept. 1 with a theme of “Let’s go to the movies,” featured more than 30 floats or walking groups.

Each year a winner and runner-up are selected from the various categories found throughout the parade.

The winners for the small walking groups included “Horton hears a Who!!” and “Scooby Doo.”

The winners for the large walking group included “Shrek,” “High School Musical” and “Cinderella.”

The winners for the walking commercial group included “The Dance Studio” and “K-9 and Kompany.”

The winners for the large non-commercial float included “Ratatouille” and “Santa’s Hawaiian Play Day.”

The winners for the commercial or professional float included “TNT Martial Arts” and “Meet the Robinsons.”

The winners of the small float and walking groups, either commercial or professional, were “Peanut the Dog” and “Big Boy.”

The Chairman’s Choice winner, a new award this year, was presented to “Charlie Chaplin and the Little Tramp.”

The 2008 Peach Festival Bed Races, Kiwanis Bed Race Challenge and Night Parade were all great successes according to Cindy Hook, who chaired the evening of events with her husband, Don.

“I think it was the best ever,” said Cindy. “There was a great turnout.”

The events were held on the evening of Aug. 31.

The winners for the bed races included the Washington Lions as the fastest bed, AARP Tillson St. as the best bed and Tooth Time winners of the best costumes.

The Washington Lions Club also won the Kiwanis Bed Race Challenge.

The Night Parade featured more than a dozen different entrants with the winners of the best school entry being the RHS Marching Band, Best 4 Bruce winners of the best use of lights, TNT Martial Arts as the best business entry, Nightmare on Tillson as the best public entry and Bedtime/American Cancer Relay for Life for the best organization entry.

Some of the new events this year included Harley Night and a professional wrestling show.

Eve Allen and her daughter, Bella, 5, said they enjoyed the Peach Festival this year, especially since they live in Romeo and can walk to all of the events.

Bella, who walked in the Children’s Parade, said she enjoyed the carnival the most this year, saying she really enjoyed the slide.

Schocke, who will no longer serve as the Bruce Township supervisor after November, said he enjoyed this year’s festival and looks forward to next year’s.

“This Peach Festival was one of the best ever,” he said. “I’m looking forward to next year, the 78th annual Peach Festival.”