This year’s Stampede Parade will build on the Rotary 2015 theme “Be a Gift to the world; a tribute to volunteers.”
“We chose it because that’s what we feel our community is made up of,” said parade chair and Daybreak Rotarian Ron Malmas. “Volunteers do so much in our community.”
This year there are two honorary parade marshals — Jim Byer, a longtime Stampede volunteer, and Dr. Peter James.
“Jim has done so much for the community,” Malmas said. “In January and February I received so many calls from the community with people telling me Jim would be great. There was an overwhelming amount of warmth at the table when we talked about Jim.”
James has been a member of Daybreak Rotary for years and when the city said they couldn’t manage the parade anymore, he as a member of Rotary, said the club would take it on, Malmas said. “From the time he was a child Peter wanted to put on a parade so when the opportunity came he grabbed it,” he added.
The parade takes place Saturday, June 26.
Registration forms are at Western Financial on Oliver Street or at stampedeparade.com, through the link to registration forms. Decorated entries are $20, non-decorated are $150.
First prize overall theme is $500 and second prize is $250.
“We have structured our judging to happen before the parade and then as participants pass by the judging booth.”
Malmas is hoping the parade will be as big as last year when there were 99 entries, 820 participants and an estimated 8,000 spectators.
“The parade ran from 10 a.m. to 10:53, start to finish,” he said.
Daybreak Rotary is also looking for parade sponsors to help cover the $1,000 cost to pay the city and groups.
All sponsors are recognized through advertising, he added.
This is the first time Malmas has been parade committee chair and he’s excited.
“Before I was just the guy who decorated the Rotary float,” he chuckled.
The parade phone line is 250-302-8424.