2023 Jefferson County Dairy Parade marches down Washington Street
Jun. 2—WATERTOWN — Parents such as Angela Green, Janet L. Abbott, and Jessica Hughes got to see their children march down Washington Street in different marching bands during the Jefferson County Dairy Parade on Friday.
The parade started at the high school's parking lot and turned left onto Clinton Street before ending in the municipal parking lot.
The event's website states that the parade was also broadcast on NBC Watertown.
Their Facebook page also says that eight high school marching bands participated, which was a record for at least the last 20 years.
Those bands are from Belleville-Henderson, Indian River, LaFargeville, Sackets Harbor, Carthage, Copenhagen, Lowville, and Pulaski.
Janet L. Abbott, Belleville, a former dairy farmer, came out to support the dairy industry and her son who is in marching band for Belleville-Henderson.
She said being a dairy farmer, she felt it meant a little bit more for her to be able to come out knowing what farmers have to go through.
"We really have to hold each other up, we really have to support each other, and we really have to be there for each other," she said.
Ms. Abbott said she attends the dairy parade each year while adding that it was "awesome" to see her son in the marching band.
Angela Green, Sackets Harbor, said she too comes every year, and she as well got to see her child in one of the marching bands; her daughter is also an athlete.
"It's easy to go to a game and see them perform, but when they're in music, you go to their concerts at school they don't have this grand stage. So when they're in marching bands... you really get to showcase, even the smaller schools, they might not have a whole lot there but the sound is wonderful, and so it's a place where a lot of those kids can really shine, and have a really nice audience that they don't normally get because they don't have the opportunity," she said.
She also participated in the dairy parade as a kid in the mid-1990s.
Her daughter is playing the trombone her father played in the 1980s when he was in a marching band.
"Getting to then see your kids enjoy it as much as you did is wonderful," she said.
Being able to celebrate the farming industry was another reason Ms. Green came out.
Jessica Hughes, was enjoying her first Jefferson County Dairy Parade on Friday. She is originally from Vancouver, Washington, but the military brought her to the north country.
"There's a lot of community engagement," she said of the parade.
She said her daughter was proud to be a part of the band.
"We're here to support her," she said.
The Northern Blend Chorus also performed beginning at 6:45 p.m. in front of the NBC Watertown Booth.
There were a total of 54 participants in the parade.
