The Holyoke Easter Drag tradition started in the 1920s.
Holyoke, 4/24/11, Staff Photo by David Molnar -- Maggie M. Evans, of Holyoke, gets a chocolate egg from the Easter Bunny at the walking the drag event. The Easter tradition involves families and friends parading up and down Northampton St.
HOLYOKE– Families dressed in their Sunday best stopped by Nick’s Nest in Holyoke to meet “Nick the Hot Dog,” the Easter Bunny and the Melha Shriner’s clowns.
“It’s been a great day,” said Alison Noyse-Buchanan, of Holyoke who brought her two daughters to the event.
The Holyoke Easter Drag tradition started in the 1920s, when people would dress up on Easter and walk down Northampton Street to Mountain Park. The park used to open for the first day of the year on Easter, according to former Holyoke mayor Michael J. Sullivan, who helped revitalize the event several years ago.
The event is now organized by Holyoke Mayor Elaine A. Pluta’s office, and local businesses including Nick’s Nest open for the day and greet families walking up the street. Families are encouraged to walk up Northampton Street between the Yankee Pedlar at Beech Street and the fire station at Dwight Street.
Sunday’s event also included displays of cars and motorcycles from Summit Cruisers and the Latin American Motorcycle Association.
“I would have to say the blue Thunderbird was may favorite,” Noyse-Buchanan said.
The cars did not stay for the entire event since rain threatened to ruin the paint on the vehicles.
“They saw the first signs of rain and they took the cars away,” Noyse-Buchanan said.
Another big attraction were the fire trucks at fire station No. 3 on Dwight Street.
Isabelle Buchanan, 8, her sister Rosie Buchanan, 5, and their dog Sophie got to check out the inside of the fire truck and talk to the firemen.
“Seeing the fire truck was my favorite part,” Isabelle Buchanan said.