The parade is back this year and the Greeley Stampede is looking for entries! Businesses, clubs, and groups are all invited to participate in the parade with this year’s theme, “Celebrate-Preserve-Strengthen”.
“The parade is a community celebration and wouldn’t be possible without community support,” commented Kent Heckel, Greeley Stampede Parades Chairman. “The parade is one of the Stampede’s oldest traditions and is a fun way to get your friends and family together to celebrate our independence and start the festivities.”
This year, with July 4th on a Sunday, the parade will be on Saturday, July 3rd at 9am in respect of all the churches in the area and not to disrupt their services. The parade runs north along historic 10th Avenue starting amidst the beautiful University of Northern Colorado campus at 19th Street and ending on 5th Street beyond historic Lincoln Park. Leading the parade will be the traditional longhorns from Wells Ranch. During the parade, the Greeley Stampede is asking spectators to do their best to social distance and spread out along the route. If you would like to enjoy the parade from the comfort of your home, the Greeley Stampede is working on options to do so and will have more information available as soon as possible.
If you are interested in participating in the parade, visit www.greeleystampede.org/p/parades for more information and to apply. The deadline for early entry is May 31st with the final entry deadline June 11th. Parade entries will be judged based on theme, craftsmanship, special effects, presentation, public appeal and originality. The 2019 winning parade entries were University of Northern Colorado Outdoor Pursuits (1st Place), Realty One Real Estate Agents (2nd Place), and iHeart Media (3rd Place).
New to the Greeley Stampede parade in 2021, youth 4-H clubs and marching bands will have an opportunity to win the Ebba Mae Grant award. “We will be awarding $500 for the first place entry and $300 for the second place entry and $200 for the third place entry,” said Heckel. “Clubs and bands will be judged like all entries, but this award is specific to youth 4-H and marching bands as part of initiative to get more involvement from the groups.”
Can you build a float that wows the audience? Do you have a dance routine that gets everyone moving? Or a fun idea that makes them laugh? Now is the time to get your group, co-worker and friends together and get creative to help make this parade fun and entertaining for our community!