RAYMOND — The 32nd annual Raymond Parade, sponsored by the Raymond Community Association, steps off on Saturday, Apr.21 at high noon.
Come rain or shine, this annual parade promises great old-time fun, so bring the kids and set up your chairs to enjoy a day with family and friends.
Special after-parade events include a big raffle, arts and crafts booths, food, Kids Korner with stick horse races and steer roping dummy — all to be held on the Raymond Museum grounds. Community service organizations’ booths will be among the highlights of the day, celebrated through the theme of the parade.
Right now, busy hands are at work building floats, polishing rides, preparing recipes for baking and doing all of the other important tasks required to properly prepare for this kind of pageantry.
Students at Raymond-Knowles Elementary have voted for what they wanted represented on their float to tie in with the community service theme, says Principal Michelle Townsend. Using a Google Form, classes voted on seven community-based organizations and businesses to be represented on their float. 24 students signed up to participate in designing and building the float, and they are hard at work, meeting weekly to get the job done.
To top off festivities on Saturday, the Raymond Museum will be open. It’s located at 31956 Road 608 in the middle of downtown Raymond. For more information, call (559) 689-3341.
Between 1886 and 1907, the only way to get to Yosemite was through Raymond, according to the museum. Freight to camps and gold mines went through Raymond during the same time period, so a visit to the Charles Miller House and the Raymond Museum will explain why “all roads lead to Raymond.”
Note: As always, the roads will be closed during the parade and opened right afterwards. So organizers recommend get to the parade early to get a good seat!
All proceeds benefit Raymond Community Scholarships.
Parade entrants and arts and crafts vendors are welcome: arts and crafts booths are $20.00 for 10×10 spaces. If you’d like more information about the parade, arts and craft spaces, please call 559 689-3488, or email slarsen@sti.net.
