Red, White and Blue parade takes over Denton
Audra Stamp / Staff Writer
Denton celebrated the 4th of July in style, from the flashy Corvettes rolling around the square to the whip-creamed covered faces of the children in the eating contest.
The Yankee Doodle Parade allowed Dentonites to dress up and show off their American spirit and the Family Fun Jubilee provided fun for all ages with food and lots of kid-friendly games.
“I love that everyone is active and participating in their local community activities,” parade coordinator Denesha Factory said.
Kicking off the day early, all the floats were gathered and judged by 10 different categories at 8:30 a.m. Some of the categories included “Most Patriotic Clown,” “Most decorated Wagon or Stroller” and “Most Decorated with a theme.”
After the judging, the parade started at the corner of South Locust Street and East Walnut Street and continued around the square before ending at City Hall and the Denton Civic Center.
The parade began with the eclectic Denton Institute of Phrenology Half-Fast Marching Band. With other regulars including The Girl Scouts float, the Corvette Club and some Great Pyrenees.
The parade often brings in horse drawn wagons, but this year was a first for a donkey-wagon led by two donkeys, Odis and Andy. Many of the children also got involved in the parade with their creative costumes, characters and fun bikes.
“Normally it’s the kids who really take the time out to decorate their bicycles,” said Factory. “We have so many families who do patriotic characters and they participate in the categories and I love the hometown participation.”
Once at the Civic Center, the Flag Raising Ceremony began the festivities for Jubilee with more than 600 people stopping by. Bounce houses and inflatable obstacle courses scattered the lawn outside the Civic Center. All the games were free to the children, which created a logjam in the lines. Inside were many carnival-style games like beanbag toss and Sombrero toss. Many children proudly displayed a flag or star on their faces after leaving the face-painting station.
“I love the face painting station,” Youth, Teen and Services Supervisors Shirley Lewis said. “At the end of the day we usually have the longest line for face painting because they don’t want to go home.”
Live music was provided by Rockupational Therapy, which played on the second floor balcony in the center while the families participated in the games downstairs.
From potato sack races and the water balloon toss, kids and their parents competed to take home the win. At the whipped cream-eating contest, numerous people competed to see who could devour the cream fastest.
Seven-year-old Dillon Waooen was excited to participate in the 6-7 year-old division of the whipped-cream contest and licked his plate clean first, winning a new USA themed hat.
“I was really excited,” Waooen said. “I like all the other games too.”
While Waooen enjoyed winning, other families played games or sat in the shade watching the festivities, all waiting for the fireworks later tonight.
Slideshow below
Parade photos by William A. Darnell / Senior Staff Writer and Jubilee photos by Audra Stamp / Staff Writer
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