During the Aug. 13 Black Forest Festival, parade marshal 90-year-old Mary Medcalf presided over 80 floats and entries that kicked off the festival themed “Everyone in the Forest is Family.”Medcalf is the 2011 Keeper of the Keys, a Black Forest tradition whereby a resident of 10 years or more is elected to uphold the values of the community and preserve the rural atmosphere. Medcalf is a 50-year resident who has been active in the community, along with raising four children.Prior to the parade, festival goers were treated to a pancake breakfast. After the parade, groups like the Jenkins Middle School choir, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Wild Blue Country, which just returned from a tour in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the Foggy Forest Boys entertained the crowd.The festival originated in the 1960s; and, after a 12-year hiatus, it’s been a Black Forest custom for 20 years.”It’s a local festival for the citizens and we get a lot of participation,” said Eddie Bracken, Black Forest Community Club president and festival chairman. “It’s a gathering of people in the Forest to celebrate that family atmosphere – a caring community.”
