Keyes reboots tradition with its first town parade in decades

Keyes held its first parade in 30 years Saturday, a march from the school to the church with nearly as many in the procession as watching it.

A California Highway Patrol car with flashing lights and blaring siren led the way down four blocks of Seventh Street at a stately pace.

Grand marshal Barbara Spratling, namesake of Barbara Spratling Middle School at the northeastern edge of town, waved from atop hay bales on a float just behind the cruiser. Family floats celebrated Halloween, cheered for the Giants or showed off a favorite car.

The lights of a Keyes Fire Protection District engine, with a banner for the volunteer department’s Nov. 8 pancake breakfast, announced the parade’s end. Between the two official escorts, 20 entries of community groups and families walked, floated or vroomed by in muscle cars, waving to about 200 spectators.

“I just felt like I was special,” said 10-year-old soccer player Carlos Mendoza after finishing his march with the Keyes Sports Association.

“I felt famous. There were cops behind us!” said April Vaca Sotelo, 11, secretary of the Student Council of Keyes Elementary, where the parade started. She and fifth-grade representative Alejandra Yepez, 11, walked the parade carrying a banner that the school officers had adorned with puff paint the day before.

“I think it was the best parade of all the Keyes parades,” Alejandra said, acknowledging that she had never seen a parade in Keyes before.

In fact, the last Keyes Fall Festival Parade took place in 1984, onlookers and organizers said. “I’m glad we three got together to do this,” said Jeff Greener, who put on the parade with Linnie Roest and Jeff Reed of the Keyes Municipal Advisory Council.

Nostalgia expressed on the Keyes City News Facebook page got them thinking about it. “Starting off, we weren’t sure how it would work out,” Greener said.

But with a Facebook page of their own and fliers sent to local schools, entries flowed in. A TV crew filmed float-makers on Friday, and spectators lined the street Saturday. Even the rain held off, though dark clouds shaded the town all morning.

“It’s an amazing start,” Roest said. “Next year we’re going to plan on ending in a carnival. We’re going to aim for bigger and better.”

Many families who came to sit along Seventh Street said it was good to see something positive, a new tradition for their town of 5,600.

“There’s actually something to do and see in Keyes,” said Miguel Alvarado with a laugh.

“It was cute, and it was good to see all the kids,” Melissa Bridges said.

Peggy Babb said she and family members were there from Arkansas. “We came to see the parade,” said Babb, whose family lived in Keyes for about 50 years, starting in 1947. “We still claim this town and this church,” she said, pointing to the Keyes Assembly of God Tabernacle where the procession ended. Her favorite part of the parade? “Visiting!” she said.

This story was originally published October 25, 2014 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Keyes reboots tradition with its first town parade in decades."