55th Junior Lilac Parade hits all the right notes

With the 10 a.m. chimes of the clock tower in Riverfront Park, hundreds of dedicated elementary and junior high students greeted the Saturday sun with wide smiles and upbeat tunes for the 55th annual Junior Lilac Parade through downtown.

At least a hundred buses bringing in kids from as far away as Richland lined up near the convention center, and bands in all make and manner of uniforms queued up for blocks on the north side of the Spokane River before traversing the mile-long parade route.

“They work so hard all year, this really is a chance for them to come out as a group. It’s just a lot of fun,” said Teresa Albright, waiting for her eighth-grade son, Austin, to emerge from the tunnel beneath North Washington Street playing percussion for Medical Lake Middle School.

One student walked by playing an electric bass guitar almost as tall as he was. Others marched stoically under the sun despite black, long-sleeve uniforms and the weight of their instruments – no small feat given that a horn like a tuba can weigh 35 to 50 pounds.

“Events like the Junior Lilac Parade excite a lot of kids, and they want to be a part of it,” said Patrick Shamblin, band director at Sacajawea Middle School and 22-year parade veteran.

A precursor to the Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade next weekend, the Junior Lilac Parade is one of the largest parades in the country featuring elementary and middle-school bands. There’s not as much pomp and circumstance, but there’s no less enthusiasm from the crowd that has been estimated at over 10,000 for parades past.

This year’s lineup included over 25 bands, several drill teams, community organizations, and even llamas and dachshunds for a total of 74 groups.

The theme was “unlock your future.”

“We immediately jumped to the “Star Wars” thing and tried not to do that,” Shamblin said. But the kids’ creative costume ideas were just too good to pass up, and Sacagawea’s 172 band members and 55-student drill team impressed the crowd with row upon row of identical costumes matching the movies. Shamblin, their leader, made a convincing Darth Vader.

Several bands from the West Valley School District took a more casual approach, donning leis and Hawaiian shirts while playing Beach Boys tunes.

“I just kind of got bored after school, so I started band,” said Austin Watson, 12, who plays trombone.

Judges pick the top bands in several categories, and the best is chosen as the sweepstakes winner and will march in the torchlight parade.