All-Western Parade

This 112 year old Western Heritage event that moved slowly for nearly two hours down Main Street, just outside our hotel, was a sight to behold.It is billed as the world's largest non-mechanized parade. That notwithstanding, there is still lots of horse (and mule) power.
We arrived just in time to register at the Hilton and grab a most welcome cup of coffee before stepping out on the street. The weather was in the low sixties. There were around 300 entries and almost 2000 animals. There were marching bands, covered wagons, stage coaches, hundreds of horses, mules, dogs, calves and longhorn cattle. There were even people riding longhorns and children being towed by dog teams. There were craggy old ranglers, Lone Star Ladies, a milk wagon, Christian groups, Blacks, Whites, Indians, Mexicans, Conferates, and a tall, high-kicking majorette. Huge, street-wide banners proclaimed everything from Jesus to Custar's 7th Cavalry. Country music streaming from the old horse-drawn wagons was plentiful and ranged from gospel to "Burning my candle at both ends." The riders and wagon passengers were having a great time tipping their big cowboy hats and waving to 100,000 people gathered from the majestic old Tarrant County Courthouse along Main to the Convention Center and then along 9th to Houston Street, and back again to the historic courthouse. The parade was entertaining, educational and great fun!

As one would guess, the red brick streets soon evolved into a light shade of brown, but that never phased the entusiastic band members. Their mission was to provide music and not demonstrate polished shoes. At the very end of the parade came the huge mechanized street sweepers traveling in formation from one side of the street to the other. After they had passed, all evidence disappeared that would charge healthy, well-fed animals of "trotting" on pavement. It was afternoon, and we treated ourselves to lunch at a quaint, nearby cafe' before heading to the hotel for a nap and then driving to the stock show and fair.