{"id":281396,"date":"2026-09-08T11:34:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T11:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/281396\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T11:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T11:34:14","slug":"crystal-beach-gives-old-man-summer-a-35-float-funeral-fort-erie-radio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/281396\/","title":{"rendered":"Crystal Beach gives Old Man Summer a 35-float funeral \u2013 Fort Erie Radio"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Old Man Summer rode through Crystal Beach in his coffin Saturday, trailed by about 35 floats for the village\u2019s annual End of Summer Parade.<\/p>\n

Winnie Swalm, 91, a member of the Crystal Beach Beautification Committee since 2000, led the procession as grand marshal, an honour Friends of Crystal Beach reserves each year for a longtime volunteer.<\/p>\n

The parade followed a five-kilometre route through the village, starting at the Crystal Ridge Community Centre and ending at the Crystal Chandelier.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" Friends of Crystal Beach, the volunteer group that runs the parade, presented the awards at the Crystal Chandelier after the procession ended. Carrie White-McNeil won first place for her Fort Erie Bills Backers float. Credit: Andrew Hawlitzky | Fort Erie Radio<\/p>\n

Paul Lewis, co-chair of the parade, told Fort Erie Radio the plaques the group now hands to winning entries have made the parade more competitive than it was back in the 1960s, when he first rode in it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gotten kind of competitive now because we give these plaques out, and they\u2019re really nice,\u201d said Lewis.<\/p>\n

Friends of Crystal Beach chose Swalm as grand marshal for her instrumental contributions to \u201cthe beautification of Crystal Beach,\u201d as Lewis put it, such as tending the flower beds along the Ridgeway Road hill.<\/p>\n

She also served as vice-chair of Fort Erie\u2019s Communities in Bloom committee, which entered the village in the national garden contest each year.<\/p>\n

The beautification committee\u2019s float rolled directly behind Swalm. Lewis said she had no idea the honour was coming until the group told her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d said Lewis. \u201cShe was like, \u2018Oh my gosh!’\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" Revolution, a Niagara-based steel drum band, played from their float along the five-kilometre route through Crystal Beach. Credit: Andrew Hawlitzky | Fort Erie Radio<\/p>\n

Allan Hackett played Old Man Summer, riding in the coffin at the tail of the procession.<\/p>\n

Fort Erie Healthcare SOS, the Friends of the Fort Erie Public Library and the Co-op Kids Koncert Band, which placed third, also entered floats, and a motorized toilet rolled the route that Faon Parkin called the funniest thing she had seen at the parade in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n

Lewis said the day begins with neighbours building floats together and ends with strangers cheering them along the route.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just becomes a very positive day, kind of an uplifting day to start the holiday (weekend) with,\u201d said Lewis.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" Old Man Summer, dressed in angel garb, lies in his coffin at the end of Saturday\u2019s procession. Credit: Andrew Hawlitzky | Fort Erie Radio<\/p>\n

American cottagers started the mock funeral in the 1950s. Lewis first took part in the mid-1960s, when groups of eight to 10 college-age renters shared a cottage for the summer and mourned its end on their last weekend together.<\/p>\n

The early parades copied a funeral scene from the 1958 film \u2018The Vikings.\u2019 Cottagers floated the coffin into Lake Erie and lit it on fire. They later moved the burning to a backyard bonfire after some residents worried the flaming casket was polluting the lake. Recent parades have left out the fire.<\/p>\n

The parades faded in the late 1970s as new owners bought the cottages and stopped renting them out. The tradition ended after Crystal Beach Park closed for good on Labour Day 1989.<\/p>\n

Friends of Crystal Beach revived the parade in 2000 and asked streets, businesses and community groups to each enter a float. The parade paused after 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned in 2023.<\/p>\n

The number of children along the route has grown every year since the revival because nearly every entry throws candy, Lewis said.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\" Last Chance Horse and Pony Rescue brought horses back to the parade for the first time in at least 12 years. Credit: Andrew Hawlitzky | Fort Erie Radio<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids probably come home with enough candy for two months,\u201d said Lewis. \u201cThe police and the fire department are terrific. They love it and they\u2019re great with the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donna Lewis, parade co-organizer, said the parade gives businesses a way to close their peak tourist season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a thank you to the residents for supporting them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n

About The Author \"AndrewAndrew Hawlitzky<\/a><\/p>\n

Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation.
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