By Jerry Schill

Parades, pageants, food, games & fun! Those are just a few of the words that come to mind when thinking about festivals in small towns & cities all over America. Some of the events become so "well-oiled", (pun intended), over the years that they seem to operate on cruise control. Not so with the Oil 150 celebrations in the region, due mainly to the magnitude and the significance of the anniversary. 

Natives of this area know what happened in Titusville that August day of 1859, and most Americans, with a little prodding, can recollect learning about Colonel Drake, Titusville and "the well" back in their grade school days. 

There are, however, bits and pieces of our local history that even escape the native population, yet are extremely interesting to history buffs, if not a very important part of our culture. 

One example is the relationship of the Heisman name with Titusville in general and oil in particular. John William Heisman attended schools in Titusville, graduating from Titusville High School in 1887. He learned to play football in Titusville and went on to become one of the greatest collegiate football coaches of all time. Each December, America waits to hear who will receive the Heisman Memorial Trophy, one of the most coveted awards in sports. 

Festival Zoning Map and Shuttle Bus/Parking Locations  (downloadable pdf)

The parade route will run from East Main Street to Second, up Second
to Spruce Street, ending at Brown.  The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. and is expected
to last approximately three hours.  Registration for the parade begins at 8:00 a.m. at
PNC Bank, near Burgess Park.  Crews will direct parade participants from there. 
Participants may stop by the registration location on Friday afternoon or evening to see
where parade spots are designated.  Those who in the the parade and need to park their
vehicles may do so at Titusville Opportunity Park at Building One.  This parking area will be open from 8 to 11 a.m. on the day of the parade.  After 11, parking will be open to the public.  This year's theme for the parade is "Oil 150: America's Energy Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."

Several downtown streets will be closed to traffic on Friday for Oil 150 festivities.  Streets to be closed include: West Cherry from Perry to Martin; West Central from Perry to Martin; West Spring, starting at Perry; Diamond; Washington to Main; and Franklin from Main to Water.  These streets will be closed from 5:00 p.m. on Friday until 7 p.m. on Sunday.  The City Hall parking lot will also be closed on Friday for KidzZone.  On Saturday and Sunday, Main, Second and Spruce Streets will be closed for the parade, which begins at 11:00 a.m.  On Satuday and Sunday, there will be free parking at six designated lots located on the outskirts of Titusville for visitors.  They are located at the following sites: Salvage Direct, Hydetown Elementary School, Titusville Airport, the former Windy Hills Farm, Titusville Opportunity Park and Oil Creek Plastics.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

We are still taking registrations from artists for the Chalk Walk Event to held during the Oil 150 Celebration.  The orginal deadline date of July 10th has been removed.  Click on the following link Chalk Walk Form or go to the downloads page to print the document.

TITUSVILLE OIL 150 ARTICLE FOR JUNE 24

by Margaret Fiely, Publicity Chair

Time is flying for the many people on the planning committees of the Titusville OIL 150 celebration.  August will be here before we blink and we will all have memories of the grand party of the year. 

The Ida Tarbell dinner tickets for Thursday, July 23 will be available to the public within the next two weeks.  The outlets will be the alumni office and the OIL 150 retail store (formerly Victoria’s).  This is a very special evening beginning with a social hour on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh and a promenade to Ida Tarbell’s home then to the Colestock gymnasium for dinner.  Period costume is encouraged.  The dinner menu will be the same as it was in 1939 on Tarbell’s visit to Titusville as an author.

The OIL 150 Outlet is open Monday through Fridays with a few Saturday dates.  The store is manned by volunteers.  If you wish to be a volunteer, stop at the outlet and sign-up to work a shift and day of your choice a great chance to meet old friends and greet the visitors.  Jillian Nellis, chamber summer intern would be happy to greet you and school you on the many items offered for sale.

Commemorative knives are for sale.  There will be only 500 produced by Queen Cutlery.  Place your name on the list at the chamber.

The chamber is encouraging all clubs and organizations to enter a float in the parade.  Place your entry as soon as possible to afford spacing for line-up.  Remember the parades that had a decorated bicycle unit.  Wouldn’t that be nice to see again? 

The events committee has worked very hard for several months to organize events for all ages.  Some are designated for adults but most of them are for families.  It is also gratifying to know that a number of the events are privately sponsored so there is no fee for the attendees. 

Have you purchased your ticket for the Oil Man’s Barbecue, August 26 at Cross Creek on August 22?  They are available at the chamber office, the OIL 150 outlet and the alumni office.  There is a fee.  A souvenir glass is included in the fee.  There is limited seating, so don’t delay purchase your ticket to celebrate OIL 150.

The Crawford County Fair will be August 18 –through 29.  During fair week, home show Building 4 will have a Drake Well replica and Titusville items on display.  Titusville Day is Monday, August 20, the local merchants are encouraged to support the chamber and offer freebies for the give-aways sponsored by the chamber.  The booth is in front of the fair office, past years has seen as many as 1,000 people stop to pick-up brochures, to ask questions about Drake Well, and the area.  Ron Kerr, fair board member works very hard during the year to get financing for the one day feature of Titusville.  Many clubs, organizations and businesses assist Ron in promoting this very special day for eastern Crawford County. 

There are many class reunions scheduled for August and especially during Oil Week.  A time for all to celebrate!  OIL 150 is a great time to have family reunions and take in the many events planned.

TITUSVILLE OIL 150 2009 PARADE INFORMATION 
TITUSVILLE, PA

Parade Date: August 29, 2009
Time: 11:00 A.M.

PARADE THEME: “Oil 150: America’s Energy: Yesterday…Today…Tomorrow”
– Float entrants must follow theme to compete.

SIGN-UP:  All entry forms must be received at least 3 weeks prior to the parade date. Entry number(s) and a copy of the parade route will be mailed to the address you put on your entry form. Entry numbers must be displayed on the outside of the window on the Driver’s side of your unit, in plain sight.

Download the Titusville Oil 150 2009 Parade Entry Form

JUDGES: Allegheny Judging Association

JUDGING: Only fire trucks will be judged in the staging area. You must be in your place and ready to be judged by 9:30 a.m. If the judges reach your spot and you are not there, you will not be judged. Awards for fire trucks will be given out prior to the start of the parade after judging is completed and reviewed. Your entry number will be painted on the street. Find your place in the parade line up and the judges will come to you.
*Please note:  All Floats will be judged en route. 

Horses: (Western, English, Saddle Seat, Costume and Hitches) will be judged at 10:00 a.m. sharp. Each unit must have a Clean-up crew to enter the parade. Groups, Clubs and Organizations will be judged enroute.

LINE UP: ALL other units in the parade, except fire trucks, should be in their assigned spot by 10:00 a.m. Your entry number will be painted on the street.

ENROUTE JUDGING STAND:

1. The judging stand will be well marked.
2. Marching units may stop to regroup before entering the judging area (30 to 45 seconds max.)
3. Marching units STOPPING to perform in the judging area WILL NOT be judged
4. Please feel free to perform in the judging area while maintaining a FORWARD MOTION.
5. THIS IS A MOVING PARADE, You MUST keep moving forward at all times.
6. All other judging will be done en route
7. Color Guards must contain at least five (5) people
8. Late arrivals will be placed at the end of the parade line up.
9. Queens, Political people and Dignitaries must furnish their own vehicles and signs.
10. Possession of or distribution of alcoholic beverages is strictly forbidden throughout the entire parade.
11. Individual horses or groups will be placed throughout the entire parade.
12. Although the classifications on your parade entry form appear to be self-explanatory, in the past, questions have arisen concerning the definition of some classifications. To prevent any misunderstandings, we are advising you now of the judging criteria for the Oil 150 Parade.

DRUM AND BATON CORPS:  Have baton twirlers as the main feature of their unit. Batons include: Swing batons, fire batons, etc. Baton corps usually consist of baton twirlers, silks and a drum line.

DRILL TEAMS: Usually have a dance line as the main feature of their unit. This dance line may use pom-poms, flags, one baton, gymnastics, rifles, etc. Drill Teams usually have some form of music to accompany them. High quality stereo equipment will be allowed in place of a drum line for all corps. However, your drum line/percussion score will be docked for things that you cannot credit to a stereo.

13. ATTENTION:  Fire trucks, Emergency vehicles and Ambulances or vehicles with air horns. Please DO NOT blow horns, sirens, or whistles CONSTANTLY during the parade. If you are notified by radio or by a parade official of an emergency situation, please refrain from blowing your horns at all. Thank you.

14. **AWARDS CEREMONY: Details about the Awards Ceremony including time and location will be sent in a separate mailing.

15. PARADE ROUTE: Map of the parade route will be sent to participants after receiving their application.

16. We sincerely hope you will attend the Oil 150 Parade on August 29, 2009 in Titusville. If you have any questions that have not been addressed in this information sheet, please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 814-827-2941

Thank you For Your Consideration and Participation