Middle schools show spirit and talent at Junior Lilac Parade

Shortly before 10:30 Saturday morning, the sound of BTS’ “Dynamite” was bouncing off the buildings along Washington Street, marking the 73rd year of the Junior Lilac Parade in downtown Spokane.

The parade, held under this year’s festival theme of “Embrace,” drew roughly 5,000 participants in 60 units.

Garrett Newbill, the band director of Horizon Middle School in Spokane Valley , had only three to four weeks after spring break to put the program together.

“Allison, she’s a flute player, and she started with us just last semester. She’s playing the full song, learned the flute in like three months, and learned how to move and stuff,” Newbill said. “We just have a culture of working hard to sound good, and that’s kind of our goal. If we work hard, everything will be really, really solid. They want to be here and play.”

The students at Horizon are doing much more than playing music and marching in a parade; they are showcasing their talent and hard work to the community as a whole.

“This is the one time a year that the whole community actually sees us. Their parents come to concerts and see them, but this is the Horizon Hawks at the Lilac Parade,” said Newbill. “We think about representing Horizon.”

“In our world right now, we have so many negative things going on, and this is an annual event that can really highlight our youth,” said Spokane Lilac Festival President Monika Hawkinson. “We need to celebrate them, embrace them and really show Spokane that we have a lot of positive things happening.”

More than just the president of the festival, Hawkinson shares a special connection to some of the youth performers.

“I teach at Sacajawea Middle School, and for the last several weeks, as I get to school, I see the band and the drill team out practicing every single day. It’s a lot of work for them, but it’s a great payoff,” Hawkinson said. “I just hope that people remember that we have all of these positive things happening in our community that we need to embrace.”

Katie Sweeney, vice president of hosting and events for the festival, noted that the festival takes a lot of work year-round.

“One thing maybe that people don’t know is that the Spokane Lilac Festival is funded entirely by donations. A lot of people think it’s put on by the city, but it actually takes a lot of fundraising efforts,” Sweeney said.

Shelley Sholl, co-vice president of the parade, is familiar with that legacy and hard work firsthand.

“When I was in high school here in Spokane, I got to march in that Torchlight parade for three years straight, and in the Junior Lilac Parade when I was in junior high,” Sholl said. “I really think back to those days and how fun that was. It was a lot of work as a kid to learn the music and the dance steps, and have people come out and support you. It’s a big deal for kids.”

On the purple Lilac Festival float, the royal court was accompanied by even younger junior lilac girls.

Chloe Nelson, from Spokane Valley Tech, spoke on the opportunities that came with being selected to the court.

“It’s really given me a chance to connect with the youth, which I don’t normally get to do on a day to day basis. I’ve been able to foster some really good feminine connections, because these girls are our sisters. We have our little sisters. It’s truly a lilac family,” Nelson said.

“This was the first opportunity of a Spokane Valley Tech student being on court, let alone being a first ambassador. For me, it was a moment to kind of show the STEM girls in Spokane that they were able to do anything that they set their mind to, whether that was being a princess or going and being in a lab coat,” Nelson said.

For Lilac Queen Hayden Bowdish, Saturday was a long time coming.

“The Spokane Junior Lilac Parade is something I attended all the time as a kid, and I remember seeing the sparkly float with the princesses, and I would get so excited. Now being on the inside of that and being able to be that role model for younger girls means a lot to me,” Bowdish said.

She said the selection process surprised her.

“They expect you to be yourself. You don’t have to fit the perfect image of a princess or a queen,” Bowdish said. “You’re perfect enough as you are.”