Boulder County Fair Parade brings smiles to downtown Longmont

Dana Cadey, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·2 min read

Aug. 5—The streets of downtown Longmont were packed Saturday morning as spectators enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Boulder County Fair Parade.

The parade is a city tradition that began over 150 years ago to drum up excitement for the Boulder County Fair, which kicks off Thursday. The route starts and ends at Roosevelt Park, 700 Longs Peak Ave., and featured 58 organizations this year.

"It's a cool community event," said Cheryl Smith, with the parade's sponsor and producer, the Kiwanis Club of Longmont. "We need all the support from the community and everybody we can to keep it going."

Retired Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle served as the parade's grand marshal, leading participants down Main Street and up Coffman Street with his wife, Stephanie.

"It's a nice honor," Joe Pelle said. "We were involved in the fair heavily back in the day, especially when our kids were young."

On a horse behind the Pelles was this year's Rodeo Queen, Ava Wright, from Erie. Like Joe Pelle, Wright called the position an honor.

"I've been in 4-H in Boulder County since I was 11, and educating people about agriculture has been a big deal for me," Wright said. "A lot of people don't realize how important it is and where their food comes from."

Agriculture was indeed a big draw for the paradegoers, who cheered as horses, goats and even a bull passed by them. Several floats represented local farms and agricultural organizations, like Longmont Dairy and St. Vrain Super Swine 4-H Club.

There were plenty of musical performances, from mariachi tunes to the driving rhythms of marching bands representing St. Vrain Valley School District high schools. The eye-catching outfits and movements of Mexican folk dancers and members of Longmont's Avoca Irish Dance Academy added to the entertainment guests enjoyed throughout the day.

Local officials were also spotted at Saturday's parade. U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado marched with the Longmont Area Democrats, while Mayor Joan Peck held the banner for the Longmont City Council alongside a few of her colleagues.

Longmont ax-throwing company Axe Me Out, Boulder County mobile food and clothing nonprofit Colorado FriendShip and animal disaster response training group Code 3 Associates were among a handful of new additions to the parade lineup.

Another new partner of the parade, Goat Bros, uses goat grazing for land management and fire mitigation. The Firestone-based business had a float carrying about two dozen goats on Saturday.

"This is a way for us to give back to the community," said Goat Bros owner Jordan Sarazen. "Everybody tends to love the goats, so if we can bring a couple smiles to everybody's faces while we're out here, that's a win for us."