TERRE HILL, Pa. - By all accounts, the Terre Hill Days celebration each July is a big deal to the 1,200 or so residents who live in the quiet borough in northeastern Lancaster County.

When Terre Hill kicked off its 100th anniversary celebration Wednesday, residents lined Main Street to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be the town's first traffic jam, which actually was a parade.

"I've never seen this much traffic on this street at once," said Betty Faust, 73, a former Terre Hill resident who returned from New Holland to watch the parade.

Like the town itself, the parade wasn't glitzy, just a showcase for small-town America, with tractors, racing lawnmowers, a four-piece Dixieland band on a flatbed truck, waving politicians and candy — lots and lots of candy — thrown from the passing vehicles.

Len Crowther watched the parade in front of St. Paul's United Methodist Church with about 25 others who chatted and enjoyed hot dogs and soft drinks on the humid night. Crowther said Terre Hill is like many small towns in Lancaster County: It has distinctive character but is often overlooked because it's out of the public eye and doesn't make much news.

"I like this community; its appearance changes ever so slightly over the years, but the charm remains the same," Crowther said. "It's a quaint family town that appreciates family values."

Once a village on a hill that offered spectacular views of the Weaverland Valley (one of the best is directly behind St. Paul's United Methodist Church), Terre Hill successfully petitioned Lancaster County Court a century ago to allow it to split from East Earl Township. That was 60 years after Terre Hill, originally called Fairville, was founded as a simple crossroads.

Times have not changed much in Terre Hill since it was the cigar-making center of Lancaster County. Though its full-time policeman, who checked homes when the occupants went on vacation, vanished a few decades ago, Terre Hill still has the 1882-vintage four-face clock at the borough hall, a barber shop, doctor's office, three churches (all built before 1900), one restaurant, a mini-mart and not a single traffic light.

Mayse and Jim Ly moved to Terre Hill three years ago from Narvon. They watched the parade Wednesday with their 4-month-old daughter, Milani.

"It's kind of like a place where time stood still," said Mayse after a half-dozen Shriners drove 5-horsepower mini-cars past her on Main Street. "A great place to raise a family, for sure."

Not surprisingly, the theme for the centennial celebration that runs through Sunday is "Honor the Past. Celebrate the Present. Imagine the Future."

Terre Hill Days this year will be similar to the fairs held in neighboring New Holland, Ephrata and Denver.

For more information, go to terrehilldays.com.

E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com