The Trinity Valley Exposition Baby Parade and Rodeo Parade are just a month away, and entries are now being accepted for both parades.
The TVE Baby Parade will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 14, along Main Street in downtown Liberty, Texas. Four days later, at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18, the much-anticipated TVE Rodeo Parade will be held along the same route.
The TVE Baby Parade has the distinction of being the “oldest true baby parade in the United States,” according to parade organizer Jennifer Regen. “We figured it out about 10 years ago. There still are and have been other baby parades throughout history, but none that are true baby parades with children kindergarten age and younger.”
The theme for this year’s TVE Baby Parade is “Board and Card Games.” Each entry will represent a different popular game, such as Scrabble, Operation, Clue, Monopoly or Pokeman. There will be no duplication, so it is important to submit an entry form as soon as possible.
There are five divisions in the Baby Parade – Walking, Riding, Western Riding, Small Float and Large Float. The winning entry in each category will receive a trophy. The award ceremony will take place immediately after the parade on the northside steps of the Liberty County Courthouse.
Due to the timing of the parade, being pre-Halloween, Regen said it is a perfect opportunity for parents to pick up a Halloween costume that would be suitable for the baby parade, and then use the costume for both events.
The cost to enter the TVE Baby Parade is $20, which goes to help offset the costs of trophies. The deadline to register for the baby parade is 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12.
The TVE Opening Day Parade, which signals the start of rodeo and fair events in Liberty, typically draws in roughly 100 entries with as many as 125 in political years. The grand marshal for the parade each year is the winner of the E.B. Baker Award, which hasn’t been announced at this time. Parade organizers are also considering adding a second parade marshal in order to honor a longtime resident and TVE supporter.
There is no theme for the TVE rodeo parade. Entries vary from football teams, cheerleaders and bands from local high schools, to floats representing local businesses, organizations and churches. The parade is kicked off each year by the TVE board of directors and the rodeo queen contestants.
The deadline for signing up for the parade is 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16.
To sign up for the parades, send an email to tveparades@yahoo.com or call Brittany Hudnall at 281-658-7932 or Jennifer Regen at 713-540-3708. To keep up with the latest information on the baby parade, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1462527101204166 on Facebook.