COWDENBEATH Gala Day 2017 will be remembered as a fantastic community event.

The gala parade was one of the longest in history and when the start reached the park, the end marchers were still in Broad Street.

There were pipe bands, brass bands and a host of floats and marchers taking part.

Joining in was the town’s Civic Week Queen Colby McDonald and her princesses, Sydney Leitch and Hannah Little and and ambassador John Jack Bell, and the Citizen of the Year Wilma Aitchison.

The parade stretched a mile and there was the perfect mixture of pipe bands, brass bands, floats and marchers of all ages on a lovely day.

While the forecast was always positive there were the usual last minute nerves among the Civic Week Committee members of perhaps a rogue shower but there was no need to worry.

The sun maybe poked in and out of the white fluffy clouds but it shone for the most part and was the icing on the cake for the committee.

Included among the marchers was the town’s new MP, Lesley Laird, who had only been elected a few days before the gala event.

The bands included Cowdenbeath’s own prizewinning Kingdom Brass along with Buckhaven and Methil Brass. Other bands included Drums and Roses, Methil Pipe Band and Full Circle.

Before the parade got underway the winners of the various prize categories were chosen.

These included, Junior Floats 1 Foulford Primary School; 2 the 46th Fife Scouts; 3 Fife Colts. Senior floats, 1 Valley House; 2 Broad Street Centre; 3 The Co-op. Best Shop Frontage, 1 Marie Curie; 2 Barnardo’s; 3 No8 At The Gallery. Best shop window, 1 The Library; 2 Lorna Clark Hairdressers; 3 Shapers Hairdressers.

The Civic Week Committee’s wristband scheme for the rides at the park proved a huge success with hundreds and hundreds being sold prior to the big day and even more at the park on Saturday.

There were all sorts of activities ranging from a rodeo ride to real live ponies, all sorts of fair type rides which proved popular with the kids.

Said the Committee’s Alex Haddow: “We really could not have asked for more weatherwise.

“The sun shone for us and it was a lovely warm dry day, just what was needed. It really was excellent to have so many organisations wanting to take part in the parade and it really was amazing to have the back of it reaching the park while rear marchers were just passing Joe’s Fish Bar on Broad Street, a distance of around a mile!”

He added: “We would like to thank everyone who came out onto the streets on Saturday to see the parade pass and all our sponsors who have made the events possible.”