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The annual Hometown Holidays celebration in Rockville is an event for all ages — and on Sunday, teens took center stage.

The crowd at Rockville Town Center rallied as The Finest! performing group put on a surprise parade, and watched in suspicion as two teenagers dressed in homemade cookie and cupcake costumes walked the streets.

About 19 of dancers and drummers gave onlookers a preview of The Finest!'s performance planned for the parade Monday.

The group, sponsored by the City of Rockville's Department of Recreation and Parks, has a mission of empowering youth by assisting its members with personal and self-development through fitness, said Karen Rawlins of the recreation and parks department.

"We use fitness for self confidence building and for building self esteem," Rawlins said.

Most of the group's approximately 60 members range from older elementary to high school students.

After the parade, Stephan Sieg of Derwood and Colleen Clark of Gaithersburg, made their way through the streets of the festival, dressed as a cupcake and a cookie.

People stared in amazement at Sieg, encircled waist to brow in foam and felt, with his arms tucked into the giant costume.

He was out to support Jackie Price, a junior at Magruder High School, who sold baked goods beside her costumed friends.

For the fourth year in a row, Price, 16, of Derwood, set up the "Great Rockville Bake Sale" at a charity booth to raise money for Share Our Strength, a national organization that tries to help end child hunger.

She and her mother, Suzanne Price, baked for two weeks to prepare for the event. They made about 2,000 cookies, 600 cupcakes, 400 brownies and more.

Jackie raised $1,200 on Saturday and expected to make about the same on Sunday; in the last four years, she has raised more than $10,000 for the charity.

"It's amazing how far she goes for charity," Colleen said, "She's always working so hard."

jbondeson@gazette.net