KING FROST PARADE!

Hope to see you all there.
October 25, 2008
Parade starts at 7pm. Streets closed off at 6pm
Our house open all day..come whenever you want and bring whatever you want!

King Frost marks winter tradition for many

BY MARIA HERNESTAFF WRITERmherne@republicanherald.com
Published: Saturday, October 18, 2008 4:18 AM EDT

HAMBURG — With high fuel bills and winter looming on the horizon, it’s time to pay homage to King Frost.On Oct. 25, thousands will travel to northern Berks County for the annual parade dedicated to King Frost that ushers in the winter months.This year brings the 45th anniversary of the parade, committee chairwoman Dianne Leibensperger said.“We’re having a special pewter anniversary pin made this year in addition to the regular booster pin we sell every year,” said Leibensperger, who said the pins are collector’s items among parade devotees.
This year’s pin, a silver-and-red snowflake surrounding the bearded and crowned visage of King Frost, was designed by Randy Flammer, Hamburg, a member of the parade planning committee.The booster pins are available at Hamburg businesses and will be sold at the parade.The parade, which lasts about 2� hours, begins at 7 p.m. on Port Clinton Avenue, marches down Fourth Street to Maple Street and ends on Third Street.Parking is available at lots through the borough.The King Frost Carnival, as it was previously called, was first held in Hamburg in 1910 and then intermittently through the years, interrupted by two World Wars and the Great Depression.In 1964, the Hamburg Jaycees took over with an eight-division parade and more than 2,200 marchers.This year, the parade will feature 12 bands, more than 20 floats, dozens of community groups and thousands of individual costumed marchers, all led by King Frost, who has been portrayed for the past 27 years by Domer Leibensperger, a Hamburg funeral director and businessman.Domer Leibensperger said the parade is a homecoming for many locals.“We’re living in trying times — our country is at war, we’re faced with a financial crunch, heating oil and gas prices are rising and we’re about to have a presidential election,” he said. “Some people wonder why should we continue to celebrate with King Frost.”But through it all, the parade will always go on, Leibensperger said.“As small-town America, we must hold onto the values that we have been built on for many years,” he said. “Family entertainment on an autumn weekend brings togetherness and contentment without a huge expense.”In support of the troops from the Hamburg area and Berks County, including the soldiers recently deployed last month, the Hamburg Area Woman’s Club will be marching in the King Frost parade and collecting donations for Operation Enduring Freedom from spectators along the parade route.