The 53rd annual De Soto Days parade was held Sept. 2 and offered a time for celebration of the town as well as show casing some of De Soto’s fall events.

The parade started at De Soto High School and slowly made its way down to Miller Park. The DHS football and dance team were featured in the parade, as well as the cheerleading squad who performed a cheer and the band who marched and played a variety of songs.

The parade gave everyone involved a chance to be honored by their town and peers while they advocated for their school.

“[The parade] shows how much pride we have in our school,” said senior drum major Zach Yarborough. “You’ve got 170 strong out here, screaming their lungs out, playing their hearts out and having a great time. It’s just a such a great event for the band as well as the school.”

Senior cheer captain Riley Moore agreed with Yarborough that the the parade gave them a chance to show their school pride and give spectators a good representation of what DHS is all about.

“By showing our love and spirit for our school, I think it shows just how fortunate we are to attend De Soto schools,” Moore said. “It also shows how involved each of us are, which is also a neat thing that De Soto offers.”

Regardless of the summer heat and long walk, members of the parade claim to have been able to keep their energy up while still enjoying themselves.

“You can hear [the band] from miles away and, being a drum major, it’s the best thing in the world. It sounds really good and it’s a ton of fun because you get to jump and dance around, make a fool of yourself and have a great time,” Yarborough said.

Not only does De Soto Days provide an exciting environment for the students and those involved in the parade, it brings town members together and creates a feeling of community.

“It’s probably one of our biggest town events and it brings everyone together to do something we can all enjoy,” Moore said. “At a time when some things are changing and our town is growing, it’s nice to know that some traditions will continue.”