Community Parade kicks off Hall of Fame festivities in Canton

Malcolm Hall, The Repository
·2 min read
The Canton McKinley Bulldogs marching band excites the crowd Sunday at the annual Community Parade, which kicks off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.
The Canton McKinley Bulldogs marching band excites the crowd Sunday at the annual Community Parade, which kicks off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.

CANTON – The annual Community Parade kicked off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival on Sunday, with drill teams and marching units performing in sweltering 90-degree temperatures.

"It is very well received," said Collyn Floyd, vice president of events and marketing strategy for the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors most of the festival activities. "The Community Parade definitely has its fans. It has shown its value over the years. It is a little more casual and laid back than our Grand Parade."

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The Canton Repository Hall of Fame Festival Grand Parade is scheduled for 8 a.m. Aug. 6. Largely comprised of youth marching units, the Community Parade was launched in 1980. There were 95 units registered to participate.

Onlookers watch and cheer as Santa Claus rides at the front of a line of sports cars Sunday during the annual Community Parade in downtown Canton. The event kicks off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.
Onlookers watch and cheer as Santa Claus rides at the front of a line of sports cars Sunday during the annual Community Parade in downtown Canton. The event kicks off the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.

Parade brings in youth drill teams

"It is great for younger children who may not want to walk the 2.2-mill (Grand Parade) route," Floyd said. "It also allows us to involve local community groups, marching bands, dance groups, nonprofit groups."

The starting point for the Community Parade is around the 1100 block of Market Avenue N. It proceeds south to the 300 block of Market Avenue S.

"We have spray bottles with ice water," said Karen Johnson, head cheer director of the Firestone Park Rams, a girls marching unit from Akron. "We are spraying while they walk. We will make sure they get a shower, keep them cool."

Cheerleaders and band members from EN-RICH-MENT, a fine arts nonprofit, dance Sunday at the Community Parade in downtown Canton. The event kicks off the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.
Cheerleaders and band members from EN-RICH-MENT, a fine arts nonprofit, dance Sunday at the Community Parade in downtown Canton. The event kicks off the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.

Marchers in that unit range from ages 5 to 13.

Some spectators arrived hours prior to the parade to take up a position along the side of Market Avenue.

"We came to get a good spot," said Nancy Moore of Perry Township. "And we have grand babies that will sit right in front of us."

Among the participating units was the Massillon Tiger Swing Band, clad in orange and black.

Members of the Massillon Tiger Swing Band perform Sunday at the Community Parade in downtown Canton. The event kicks off the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.
Members of the Massillon Tiger Swing Band perform Sunday at the Community Parade in downtown Canton. The event kicks off the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival.

"It is great conditioning for the kids," said Chris Nussbaum, unit director. "And we like performing before crowds. They invite us every year."

Waiting for the parade to begin was Akron resident Dominique Jimerson, whose 10-year-old daughter is in the Firestone Park Rams unit.

"She is really determined," Jimerson said. "And she practices all day. I am just really scared of the heat for her."

Reach Malcolm at 330-580-8305

or malcolm.hall@cantonrep.com

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Community Parade kicks off Hall of Fame Festival in Canton