Photo Courtesy County Park PortraitsLocal residents and organizations plan to parade through the streets of historic downtown Katy Oct. 5 to kick off the week-long celebration leading up to the 33rd annual Rice Harvest Festival. At 10 a.m. participants plan to leave from the Katy Church of Christ at 5458 5th Street, work their way west to Avenue A, then south passing around city hall on 2nd Street before turning north on Avenue C to end at Adorable Reception Hall at 10th Street.
Judges will award prizes to the best overall parade entry as well as the best in a variety of categories including school, youth organization, commercial, church and others.
The parade is planned in anticipation of the Rice Harvest Festival, which is scheduled for the following weekend, Oct. 12-13. All of the vendor sites for this year's festival are sold out and there is a waiting list for interested vendors, according to festival organizers. The festival will be located on Avenues B and C and 2nd and 3rd Streets—the area around city hall.
The festival has more than 330 craft and food booths, around 30 more than last year. Historically, weather permitting, it has attracted upwards of 45,000 to 50,000 visitors. Last year those numbers were spoiled by a rainy weekend.
