2016 Parade Day Delights Downtown Casper [PHOTO GALLERY]
T'was a lovely day for Casper's annual Parade Day.
Cloudless skies, temperatures in the high 60s, and children and their families lined the downtown streets Tuesday morning to watch about 160 entries during the formal launch of the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo.
"This is a nice celebration of the Fair and Rodeo, a nice way to kick off the event," Wayne Heili said.
"I think the kids had a lot of fun," Heili said. "The breeze kept it a little cool, nobody got too hot, and what a wonderful day."
Branden Leonhardt agreed.
"The weather was wonderful, a little bit windy, but as far as the kids -- great candy, lots of good floats, Leonhardt said. "I love coming to the parade every year."
His favorite thing: "Fire departments' trucks."
Christopher Nichols hadn't been to a parade in 10 years, and liked what he saw.
His favorite thing: "Horses."
Ten-year-old Diego Jimnez liked the marching bands.
Favorite thing: "When they squirted us."
Firefighters perched on their fire trucks gently hosed down the crowds.
Likewise, some walking alongside floats and vehicles squirted the crowd with their water guns.
Some passed out candy, campaign pamphlets, and brochures for businesses and plays.
Marching bands, cheerleading teams, and the perennial go-cart riding Shriners marched, danced and rode in formation, making music and smiles.
The local dance and gymnastics clubs and studios featured their students cartwheeling, dancing and contorting their little bodies in ways that would put any adults who tried that in traction.
But if any adults were dumb enough to try it, the Wyoming Medical Center and other health care companies with parade entries were prepared with ambulances and other vehicles to handle any crisis.
And being an election year, many seeking office had their own floats, cars, vans and other transportation as cruised the downtown streets.
A couple of candidates showed off some gimmicks.
Wyoming U.S. House Republican candidate Rex Rammel rode a horse, and lead two other horses by the reins. Across one saddle was a dummy with "EPA" written on it. The other horse carried a dummy with "BLM."
And U.S. House Republican candidate Tim Stubson followed a long trailer behind a tractor and carried a wheelbarrow of manure.
Stubson dumped the manure and his volunteers shoveled it most of it back into the wheelbarrow.