Suffolk’s streets were reminiscent of the old days in downtown as people packed the sidewalks along West Washington and North Main streets Saturday to take part in the &uot;25th Silver Anniversary Peanut Fest Parade.&uot;

The parade has always been a special event in the city, marking the beginning of the Peanut Fest which starts at 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10 at Suffolk’s Municipal Airport, on Airport Road just off Route 13.

Since this year is one for honoring our nation and the American flag, there was an abundance of red, white and blue on floats, cars and costumes.

Peanut Fest Parade Grand Marshal Maralyn &uot;Mad Dog&uot; Hershey from CBS television’s show, &uot;Survivor,&uot; was spectacular in a summery outfit of red shorts and a red, white and blue star-spangled sleeveless shirt. The outfit showed off two of her Australian Outback mementos: tattoos of a crocodile that wraps around her upper left arm and a tiny little lizard that chases around her ankle.

The hot sun beat down on what was like mid-day in July and &uot;Mad Dog&uot; was among many that wore hats to protect them from the sun. Hers was bright red to match the outfit and was the sort that &uot;Aussies,&uot; wear Down Under.

Hershey was on her best behavior today, and she is still trying to figure out what she’ll sculpt from the 12-pound block of peanut butter in next Saturday’s &uot;Peanut Butter Sculpture Contest&uot; at Peanut Fest.

&uot;I know it’ll be something from the Outback,&uot; she explained. &uot;Just what… well, I haven’t decided but maybe a crocodile. Of course, that nasty ol’ mangrove worm would be the easiest, but they’d probably do like those other Survivors and kick me off the island again, only this time it’d be kick me outta’ the contest!&uot;

&uot;Mad Dog&uot; wasn’t the only person in the parade who found the streets of Suffolk to be a hot time yesterday. Even those who rode in a vast array of vehicles found the sun was testing their endurance.

Suffolk’s Police Department led off the parade with a lineup of motorcycles that thrilled the youths in the thousands lining the streets.

Western Tidewater Regional Jail and its elite honor guard joined the parade along with the &uot;HEAT/EXILE&uot; car that will be used in the Demolition Derby at Peanut Fest. Last year’s champion driver, Deputy Troy Babb; will again be at the wheel this year.

Beauty queens populated the parade, seated in convertibles that allowed them to wave to the thousands.

Of course the Silver Anniversary Peanut Fest Queen Sarah Catherine McPhail and her court said hello from their vehicles. They will oversee many events at Peanut Fest including that peanut butter contest.

Another person of Peanut Fest royalty, William D. &uot;Billy&uot; Wyatt, was on hand to say hello to parade observers. He was pleased to see so many people come out since he serves as the 2002 Peanut Fest chairman.

He and about 300 volunteers put together one of Hampton Roads’ biggest annual parties, the Peanut Fest. Also introduced in the parade, Jessie Johnson and Larry Underwood. They will serve as the 2003 and 2004 Fest chairmen.

Some of those dedicated volunteers consist of the locally famous &uot;Goober Gang,&uot; a group of area high school students that will serve as the eyes and ears for those seeking help finding events, lost family members, and other items. Look for them at Peanut Fest, and they’ll be in bright red &uot;Goober Gang&uot; T-shirts.

Politicians populated the parade route as they waved to constituents and Del. S. Chris Jones, of Suffolk, walked/ran along the parade route handing out ice cold bottles of water to people parched under the glaring sun.

No parade is complete without the Shriners, and that famous group always brings a huge contingent to promote the Shriner’s Hospital.

Every parade also must have marching bands, and this year there were eight, all stepping sharply to win that coveted first-place award.

Churchland High School’s Marching Trucker Band carried that prize back to their school this year.

The Marching Saints of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy took home the second-place award and they were resplendent in their spangled blue-and-white uniforms.

I.C. Norcom’s Marching Greyhound Band went back to Portsmouth with a third-place win, none to shabby considering the large number of musical presentations in the parade.

The Silver Anniversary &uot;Spirit Award&uot; was presented to Windsor High’s Marching Band.

Something that everyone waits for is those ubiquitous floats in the parades. The Holland Ruritans won the &uot;Best Float&uot; award. They created a waving flag and it earned plenty of praise as throngs of people broke into cheers and applause.

The &uot;Best Entry/Most Creative&uot; award was presented to a sister Ruritan Club. The members of the Bethlehem Ruritans created a huge replica of the Ruritan National logo, and riding in front of it on the float was their club’s queen, Kimberly Morris.

Honorable mention was shared by two groups, the Goober Gang, sponsored by Sentry Marts, and the &uot;All American Spirit Cheerleaders.

Parades are a perfect opportunity for civic groups, clubs and youth organizations to show off what they do for the community and Saturday there was a real show of such spirit.

The &uot;horsy set&uot; put on a grand display in the parade, thrilling all the children and quite a few adults. The Bradshaw family was represented when Mr. Bradshaw rode the streets on an absolutely perfect looking Tennessee Walker that must have been 17-hands tall. Now, that’s a horse!

There were so many characters and displays that it would take an entire page to describe the wonderful and unforgettable Silver Anniversary Peanut Fest Parade.

However, you can see a great deal more of Peanut Fest activities, shows, displays, crafts and exhibits at the festival that begins Thursday.

Plan to be there or you’ll probably be hearing about it for years!