BELLE FOURCHE—The Black Hills Roundup Parade has long been a Fourth of July tradition in Belle Fourche, inviting spectators to line the streets each year to watch the procession make its way through town. From beautifully decorated floats and rodeo royalty to western riders, horses, first responders, classic vehicles and community groups, the 107th Annual Fourth of July Parade promises a colorful celebration of patriotism and western heritage.
The Center of the Nation VFW Post 3312 has been selected as this year’s Parade Marshal. The veterans will take the helm and lead the parade through the city beginning at 10:30 a.m. They will start at the corner of 13th Avenue and National Street and will continue on Elkhart Street to 10th Street before making their way to downtown Belle Fourche on State Street and one final turn onto Eighth Street, finishing near Weyler Park.
This year’s Color Guard is the 842nd Engineer Company of the South Dakota Army National Guard.
“Home of the Brave” is this year’s theme. Lineup runs from 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on the morning of the Fourth. There are around 130 parade entries this year, making the parade about the same size it has been for the past few years. Stationed along the route will be announcers Curt Westland, Bryton Oedekoven, Jim Kallas and Jack Verry. They will introduce each float and keep spectators informed and entertained.
New this year will be the separation between entries that want to throw water and those that wish to stay dry. “This year, on the entry form we put where you had to mark on there if you were going to have water on your float or not. We’re going to try to have all of the non-water floats in the first section of the parade, and then a fire truck is going to have a big sign on it (to signal) where the water section starts—kind of warning people these upcoming floats have water. Those floats will come after that fire truck, and that’s at the very end of the parade,” explained Tessa Eaton, Parade Chairman.
When you see the fire truck sporting the notice that water fights may be incoming, you can move you or your family back away from the wet zones.
Parade judges Ashley Pearson and Emily Olson will be along the route judging floats and picking winners for cash awards, including the McClure Ranch Memorial Award of $100 for the best depiction of this year’s parade theme, the Faye Kennedy Memorial Grand Marshal Award of $100 for the most patriotic entry and the Eva Hanify Rail Memorial Award of $100 for the best representation of our Western heritage.
The parade is free, so make sure you bring your lawn chairs, family and friends and enjoy this Fourth of July tradition as we celebrate 250 years of America’s Independence.
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