Diane Stamm | The Imperial Republican
It was a mad rush by young and old alike, going for candy, coins and souvenirs as the Chase County Fair parade travels along Broadway.
Jan Schultz | The Imperial Republican
The parade grand champion prize went to Allo Communications, with its bar room-themed float that gave credit to the “Cheers” theme.
Jan Schultz | The Imperial Republican
Bill Greeley’s horses and wagon took top honors in the equestrian division. His mother, Bernita, rode along in the wagon.
Jan Schultz | The Imperial Republican
The Imperial FFA chapter took first in the organizations division with a “cheers” float noted their past, present and future members.
Jan Schultz | The Imperial Republican
The Class of 2023 at Chase County Schools enjoyed throwing water balloons at the crowd as they took first in the open class.
Parade another big draw; hundreds line streets
Besides the concerts, it’s a pretty sure bet the parade is the next best-attended event in the full week of Chase County Fair events.
Hundreds lined the streets of Imperial for this year’s parade Aug. 13, from its start at Imperial Manor, east on 10th Street then seven blocks of main street.
There were 60 entries and that’s not counting all the ag equipment, fire trucks and ambulance units, said Chris Lee, parade committee chairman for the Imperial Chamber of Commerce.
Participation was up 50% from last year’s 40 entries.
Grand champion was Allo Communications, which also took first in the business division.
This year’s theme was “Here’s to the Chase County Fair—Cheers!”
Grand marshals, who followed law enforcement and the VFW Post Color Guard, were Ed and Arlys Cupp and Jeannine Cox, all of Champion.
“I’ve had great compliments from everyone about this year’s parade. We had tremendous participation, particularly from area businesses and there were some really fun and creative floats and entries,” Lee said.
He noted this year’s was probably the fist time a float went through the parade twice.
“The manor residents had such a great time, they asked to go through again,” Lee said.
Everything ran really smoothly, Lee added, on the back end with people lining up in time and following instructions.
“Overall, we’re very pleased with this year’s parade,” he said.
Being an election year, there were a big group of hopefuls in this year’s parade, including candidates for local and state offices.
In all, the parade lasted about 50 minutes, and there was plenty of souvenirs and candy to take home.
Following are the first and second place winners in each division. First place received $50, while second was awarded $25. Grand champion earned another $75, all in Chamber Bucks.
Grand champion—Allo Communications.
Business—1st Allo, 2nd Imperial Manor.
Organizations—1st Imperial FFA, 2nd Chase County Veterans Memorial.
Open class—1st CCS senior class, 2nd Imperial Junior Legion baseball team.
Equestrian—1st Bill Greeley’s horses and wagon, 2nd Phillips Co. Princess.
There were no religious division entries.