NORTH WEBSTER — On Wednesday, June 19, Mermaid Festival officials took a gamble on proceeding with the Cutie Parade — and won.

Despite downpours earlier in the day and continual threatening skies, festival officials met in the late afternoon, studied weather radars and decided to go ahead with the event, electing to begin the procession about 15 minutes before the scheduled 6:30 p.m. start time.

The wager paid off, as 88 entrants made their way south along Main Street from the North Webster Church of God, adorably displaying this year’s theme, “Life at the Lakes.” Participants hailed from several Indiana cities and towns, with two out-of-state entrants from Detroit, Mich., and Jupiter, Fla.

But for a few scattered raindrops, inclement weather held off for the 45-minute parade.

Entrants were divided into three categories: walking, hand-drawn and motorized units.

A total of nine judges, three for each category, rated the units as they passed the stand at Washington Street.

Category winners will be announced at the Cutie Pageant, which takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, June 21, at the Community Center.

A sampling of the cuteness: