Friday, Sep. 05, 2008

Olathe prepares for Old Settlers parade

For the 39th time, Douglas Cox, band instructor at Indian Trail Junior High School, will participate in the Johnson County Old Settler’s parade.

Cox spent four of those years as a student at MidAmerica Nazarene University, the remaining years he has been a part of the Olathe school district.

“The word is tradition,” Cox said. “I came to this community in 1969 and have known Old Settler’s is a big deal. It’s a tradition. I enjoy it.”

Students from all four Olathe high schools and all junior high schools will march in the Old Settler’s parade.

Kicking off the parade will be the elementary school band. Bands from Spring Hill, Gardner and Maranatha Academy in Shawnee will participate. Students in Cox’s band began preparations for Old Settlers in May.

“It is a good skill for students to learn — for students to be exposed to an audience of that size,” Cox said. “More will see us at the Old Settler’s parade than any concert all year. It’s a very strong tradition, and we all take being in Old Settler’s very seriously.”

It is often called the biggest parade in Kansas, and Saturday’s Old Settler’s Parade should be no different, said Johnson County Old Settler’s Parade Coordinator Sheila Reitmeyer.

This year there are 158 entrants in the parade. Last year there were 137 entrants, while on average there are about 145, she said.

“Of course this is an election year so there will be more,” Reitmeyer said. “But we have a lot of new entries we haven’t seen before, so we are crazy over where we usually are. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

This year’s parade theme centers around holidays. Float-makers were encouraged to decorate based on a favorite holiday or a holiday theme in general.

“We put a lot of thinking into the theme,” Reitmeyer said. “It’s very difficult because it has to be something kids can relate to, it can’t be out-of-this world or boring. We thought this would be fun.”

As soon as the application letter was mailed to members at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Olathe, plans began for two Old Settler’s floats. Last year, the new church won second place in the club/organization float competition. Soon, the church will celebrate breaking ground on new property for the 250-member church. One float will feature their puppet ministry group and another float will be Thanksgiving-themed, featuring their contemporary-Christian band.

“I absolutely like the theme,” said Cheryl McElroy, St. Mark’s member. “I just thought Thanksgiving was great with all we have to be thankful for with the new property and people coming. We’re excited about getting our name out there for all the people who haven’t heard about us.”

Plans for the next Old Settler’s Fair Parade usually begin as the current parade concludes. Letters to invite people to enter the parade are usually sent the spring prior. But, Johnson County residents often want to plan for the parade early, Reitmeyer said.

“I’ve already had an e-mail about next year’s parade,” Reitmeyer said.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. A pre-parade will start at 9:45 a.m. with the elementary school band. All attendees are encouraged to arrive early because roads will be closed for the parade and parking will be limited. For those who can’t attend, the parade will be televised on Cable Channel 7.

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