Sierra Sun Times Video Capture and Photos
October 6, 2017 - By Dale Silverman - CoyoteFest has grown exponentially!”, noted MaryAnn Huff, the Northern Mariposa County History Center’s board president (dressed as the chief coyote), … “We thought last year’s crowd was big, and we prepared for larger crowds, focusing on details such as signage, parking and free transportation to and from them. But the flocks of people who arrived early and staid late were far beyond our expectations!, she exclaimed. Wow! Yip Yip Yahwoo!
The parade had a record 25 entries: floats, mounted units, groups of all kinds. Alan Haigh, accompanied by the tiniest of his “herd” of rescue dogs, rode in style as the Grand Marshall. Coyote Connections was the winning float, sporting a 17’ tall Statue of Liberty. Jessica Mimnaugh provided some “action,” helping Whylee Coyote set off two extra-large confetti packed ACME “explosives” in his bid for mayorship. Lots of livestock, ranging from horses, mules and dogs to goats and even a pet calf, not to mention the wonderful assortment of groups, hot rods and classic cars that made their way down Main St.
Nina Mimnaugh, Car Show chairperson happily exclaimed “We had 52 incredible cars! Returning participants encouraged their friends to participate this year and also brought their families with them, as the CoyoteFest makes for a true fun family outing. with so much going on!”
The addition of a Native American To Pi Village added a new dimension and the gold panning was popular with the kids who also enjoyed the Pony and Zippy rides, a giant sized bounce “castle,” as well as a super fun dry-slide that had kids tumbling down it all day long. A record number of busy vendors, 77 in all, filled Coulterville Park, Peddler’s Alley (aka Park Lane) and the mini-lane in front of the Hotel Jeffery. The crowds of hungry folk had plenty to munch on, and so many interesting items to look at while enjoying the great sounds of the Coyote Hill band.
The 32nd annual Coyote Howl, ranging in age from 2 to about 72, had about 75 contestants. An amazing, and in some cases eerily authentic, array of yips, howls and even growls, emanated from both the individuals and the packs vying for cash prizes. One pup exclaimed “this is my favorite part of the day!” before belting out an impressive howl. The 21 competing packs ranged from a few twosomes to some large and mega packs, with the largest, The Wiley Coyotes, sporting 11 pups!
Congratulations to the 2017 CoyoteFest Winners!
31st Coyote Howl Winners:
PUP:
1st: Tiffany Lewis
2nd: Grace Welch
3rd: Dox VanZant
COYOTE: Mario Chavez
PUP PACK: 
1st: The Wiley Coyotes: James, Kayden, Ryan, Skyler, Jacob, Wesley, Jesse, Sebastian, Patrick, Morgan, Braelyn
2nd: Chance & Lyla Atkin
3rd: Tray Huff & Nico Smith
1st: Zuk Zucatto, Mike Mibach, Joann Jorgenson
2nd: Mike Kambeitz, Helen Bauman, Merlin Jones
3rd: Sarah Rash and Simon Acosta
Car Show
Winner of the Bill Lane Memorial 1st Place Award: 1964 CHEVY IMPALA owned by Dave Thorpe
Parade:
Best Coyote Theme: Nina, Gavin & Jessica Mimnaugh: "Whylee Coyote for Mayor" (not pictured)
Best Single: Coyote Consignment: “Statue of Liberty”
Best Group: Lady Bugs of the Lake
It Takes A Community!
The board of the Northern Mariposa County History Center extends a heart-felt thank you to all those that came out to enjoy the 2017 CoyoteFest, which, when the confetti settles, is expected to be a record fund-raiser for the museum! To our participants, our vendors, sponsors, and all the wonderful people that it took to make this a great day, THANK YOU!!”
Special thanks go to: The IOOF who coordinated the parade, the Greeley Hill School Parents Club who took on the Kids Corner, the Coulterville Community Club (CCC) who organized the entertainment. And a final big thank you to our wonderful sponsors, including Event sponsor, Allied Auto; the Y/MC Tourism Bureau and the MC TEP; our Car Show Sponsors: Allied Auto, Bean Creek Realty, Chicken Ranch Casino, Don Pedro Car Club, and Greeley Hill True Value Hardware; our Entertainment sponsors: the CCC, Supervisor Miriam & Merlin Jones, Rabobank, Wildlfire Ranch and Yosemite Bank; to K&D Feed who once again provided hay bales and Conifer who provided “connectivity.”
Kudos to our announcers: MaryAnn Huff and Merlin Jones (parade) and to Mike Kambeitz and Dale Silverman (park) as well as Leslie Farrow who MC’d the Howling Contest.
Also, thank you to all of the terrific SCOPE volunteers who spent the day doing traffic control. To the LDP High school students who volunteered and filled in everywhere! And to all of the other organizations that helped us with things such as road closures including Cal Trans; the CA Highway Patrol; the Mariposa County Sheriff's Dept., Health Dept., Parks and Rec., County Road Dept. as well as Mercy Ambulance and Cal Fire. Thank you to all of our entertainers: the Coyote Hill Band, Mr. Stilts (David Volponi), and the LDP Line Dancers. And thank you to our Car Show and Coyote Howl Judges!
Lastly, a big thank you to professional photographer Al Golub, who took such great photos of the parade, howlers and all the activity and generously has allowed us to share them. Be sure and mark your calendar for Saturday, September 22, 2018, the date of next year’s CoyoteFest!