Last week, many school districts surrounding the Kansas City area decided to cancel school for the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl championship parade and pep rally on Feb. 5, 2020. De Soto High School was one such school, and many students and staff took full advantage of the day off to celebrate the victory. 

Senior Allison Oberle went down early with some family friends to watch the pep rally. 

“I left my house at 5:15 [a.m.] and met at the McDonalds in Bonner Springs with some family friends. We left to go to the parade at 6:00,” Oberle said. 

Instead of driving down in the morning like Oberle, DHS math teacher Bruce Yarbrough and his family booked a hotel room for Tuesday and Wednesday night.

After attending the Royals parade in 2015 and dealing with the traffic congestion, Yarbrough decided that he “would rather sit at the hotel and kill time than sit in traffic and be frustrated.” 

Although the weather was cold, it did not hinder the day for those who were dressed properly. 

“We [Yarbroughs] treated it like we were going skiing. We went down and got all of our ski clothes out. We had multiple layers on, hand warmers, boots and gloves,” Yarbrough explained. “There were people in jeans and tennis shoes and they quickly regretted their decision.”

In addition to the cold weather, fans had to wait for hours in order to see their favorite Chiefs players. 

“The actual waiting was pretty brutal. At first, it was nice because everyone was spread out and no one was being rude. But as the time got closer and closer to the start, people who had showed up late or were coming from the parade route started taking over any space. If there were any gaps between people, it got filled,” Yarbrough said. 

Oberle also witnessed this congestion and change in the crowd as it got closer to the start of the rally.

“We were just standing around talking. Then around 9:00, the fence came down and everyone ran to the front,” Oberle said. “We were sitting one second and then the next everyone’s running, and we had to pick up our stuff and just sprint to the front.” 

There have been many comparisons and differences between the 2015 Royals World Series parade and the 2020 Chiefs Super Bowl parade.  

Both Yarbrough and Oberle attended the Royals parade and believe that the Chiefs parade was more planned out. 

According to Oberle, the Chiefs parade was better organized than the Royals, but “the Royals was more [of] that family environment, and the Chiefs was more like ‘it’s been 50 years so let’s party.’”

Many fans and news stations have commented on the players’ behavior during the parade and pep rally. Yarbrough had a more positive take on the players drinking and partying. 

“I really enjoyed seeing them [Chiefs players] and how happy they were and how happy they were to be a part of that celebration with the city,” Yarbrough said. “We got to see guys [Chiefs players] in the prime of their life celebrate one of the greatest moments of their life.” 

Oberle had a different opinion on the players’ behavior.

“That [Chiefs players behavior] was a little frustrating from my point of view because they [Kansas City] wanted to make it a family environment with no alcohol and no smoking. Then the entire day I smelled weed and cigarettes,” Oberle commented. 

Overall, the day was eventful and provided Oberle and Yarbrough positive experiences.

“It was just fun to see everyone showing up and being all supportive because they always talk about how the Chiefs Kingdom is the best kingdom,” Oberle said. 

Yarbrough also enjoyed the day, but for a different reason.   

“As you get older, to be able to experience those [monumental] things with your kids is a pretty incredible thing. It was nice to be able to go down there with Abi [his daughter and DHS junior] and Nicole [his wife] and have that moment with them,” Yarbrough said.