Homecoming parade route has been changed

Talk about it

The homecoming parade route got a little bit shorter this year, but that’s a good thing.

After last year’s homecoming parade ended as darkness fell on downtown Farmington, organizers decided to shorten the route by just one block. It will still start at the Dakota County Fairgrounds and travel north up Third Street, but then the route will turn left on Spruce Street and head west, out to Boeckman Middle School. It’s a change from the route of the past few years, which took a trip around the downtown block bordered by Spruce and Oak Streets on the south and north, and Third and Fourth streets to the west and east.

But it’s really not a big change, said Farmington youth program coordinator Marianne Feely. After all, it’s the same route the parade had followed for years.

The good news about the parade’s new route, though, is that the route is necessary because the parade itself has grown in recent years in both numbers of units and participation.

“We have had more organizations and businesses join in the parade over the years, which is great, but with that happening, it also makes the parade last longer,” Feely said. “We want it to get to the middle school before it’s getting dark.”

The parade is held on Wednesday because Wednesday is the only day of the week when no sports or after-school activities are typically scheduled. That, too, has driven up the participation, Feely said. Back when the parade was held on Friday before the football game, many varsity athletes were unable to participate because they were getting ready for the game.

Feely thinks the float building festivities at the fairgrounds, usually held on the Sunday before homecoming week, are also an attraction for organizations that want to be in the parade.

“It must have become a good tradition,” she said. “Every year it seems like the organizations build a little more elaborate floats, and that’s what we’d hoped we would see. It’s been a really positive, team building thing for a lot of organizations, and it’s a fun activity for the new clubs and teams to do together.”

The order of parade units will also change this year, she said. One of the most notable will be that parade goers will wait until closer to the end of the parade to catch a glimpse of the homecoming court, as they will be featured toward the end of the parade – kind of a subliminal invitation to follow them to Boeckman Middle School for the coronation, which begins at 8 p.m.

Feely encourages parade goers to take advantage of the parking that is still available downtown and walk the block to the parade route.

The 2012 homecoming festivities kick off with the Tiger Homecoming Fun Run/Walk at 9 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Tiger Stadium, and conclude with the homecoming football game when the Tigers host Chaska. The football game begins at 7 p.m., also at Tiger Stadium.

It will still start at the Dakota County Fairgrounds and travel north up Third Street, but then the route will turn left on Spruce Street and head west, out to Boeckman Middle School. It’s a change from the route of the past few years, which took a trip around the downtown block bordered by Spruce and Oak Streets on the south and north, and Third and Fourth streets to the west and east.

But it’s really not a big change, said Farmington youth program coordinator Marianne Feely. After all, it’s the same route the parade had followed for years.

The good news about the parade’s new route, though, is that the route is necessary because the parade itself has grown in recent years in both numbers of units and participation.

“We have had more organizations and businesses join in the parade over the years, which is great, but with that happening, it also makes the parade last longer,” Feely said. “We want it to get to the middle school before it’s getting dark.”

The parade is held on Wednesday because Wednesday is the only day of the week when no sports or after-school activities are typically scheduled. That, too, has driven up the participation, Feely said. Back when the parade was held on Friday before the football game, many varsity athletes were unable to participate because they were getting ready for the game.

Feely thinks the float building festivities at the fairgrounds, usually held on the Sunday before homecoming week, are also an attraction for organizations that want to be in the parade.

“It must have become a good tradition,” she said. “Every year it seems like the organizations build a little more elaborate floats, and that’s what we’d hoped we would see. It’s been a really positive, team building thing for a lot of organizations, and it’s a fun activity for the new clubs and teams to do together.”

The order of parade units will also change this year, she said. One of the most notable will be that parade goers will wait until closer to the end of the parade to catch a glimpse of the homecoming court, as they will be featured toward the end of the parade – kind of a subliminal invitation to follow them to Boeckman Middle School for the coronation, which begins at 8 p.m.

Feely encourages parade goers to take advantage of the parking that is still available downtown and walk the block to the parade route.

The 2012 homecoming festivities kick off with the Tiger Homecoming Fun Run/Walk at 9 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Tiger Stadium, and conclude with the homecoming football game when the Tigers host Chaska. The football game begins at 7 p.m., also at Tiger Stadium.

Tags: high school, school district 192, education, farmington, community