"Everybody loves a parade" describes an event that is a big part of Americana -- like baseball, the automobile or the light bulb. They are part of the fabric of small-town U.S.A.
If there is a big community-wide celebration, the parade will be at the heart of it, like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or the Rodeo of the Ozarks Parade in Springdale.
Enter the Decatur Barbecue Parade which is held on the first Saturday in August. This year's parade will be held Aug. 2, beginning at 11 a.m.
A year after the Decatur Barbecue was conceived, the residents of Decatur wanted to stage a parade as a way to show their love for the community.
The early parades formed at the old high school (now City Hall) and proceeded down Maple Avenue to Main Street, turning south down Main Street and ending at City Park on Second Street.
Cities, schools, businesses and churches from, not only Decatur, but places like Gravette, Gentry, Rogers, Springdale and Siloam Springs, showed their support for the Decatur Barbecue by sending their representatives to participate in the parades held each year.
When Decatur purchased land that would become Veterans Park on the northwest side of town, the Decatur Barbecue had a new home, a bigger one.
When Decatur moved the Barbecue to Veterans Park, the chamber of commerce decided to switch the starting and finishing points for the parade, as well. It would now start at City Park on Second Street and run down Main Street to end at Veterans Park. It basically covers the same route but in a different direction.
Lineup will begin at 10:30 a.m. at City Park along Second Street. For more information, contact Stacy Brooks at 790-7171.
General News on 07/30/2014