Thousands Attend Wenatchee’s Apple Blossom Festival Youth Parade

Several thousand people attended Saturday's Apple Blossom Festival Youth Parade in Wenatchee.

There was a widespread presence of portable camping chairs along the parade route, which covered 1.3 miles from Triangle Park to Fifth Street and traveled down Orondo Avenue and Mission Street.

The Youth Parade is billed as one of the only parades in the state featuring a large number of kids, with more than 4,500 children ages 14 and under taking part.

There was a large presence of bands throughout the parade, with the Eastmont Junior Wildcat Marching Band, Flag, and Drill Team among them. The Quincy Middle School Advanced Band traveled from Grant County to take part in the parade.

The Cashmere Middle School "Bulldog" Marching Band and Manson Middle School Marching Band were among the many other bands.

Wenatchee area elementary schools also participated in the parade.  They included an entry from Columbia Elementary, Columbia Elementary School, "100th Year". Columbia Elementary has been targeted to close down at the end of the current school year by the Wenatchee School District.

In addition, there were a number of entries in the parade from outside the region, including the Hermiston, Oregon Middle School Marching Band

Floats with Apple Blossom Festival Royalty members, junior and senior high school girls, were scattered throughout the presentation.

Participation was robust with nearly 70 entries.

One couple, Dean and Lisa  Blevins, are recent transplants from Kitsap County to Plain. They traveled from the upper valley to Wenatchee for Saturday's parade and were both impressed with the spectacle.

'This is so cool," said Lisa. "It's like our hometown parade, just a little bit bigger," said Lisa, "It's just so community-driven and really wonderful."

"A small town in a big parade, or a big parade in a small town," said Dean. "It's quite fun, very charming."

The entire parade at the central point of Orondo and Okanogan Avenues in front of Memorial Park clocked in at one hour and 15 minutes.