DINUBA – Valley pride ran deep through the streets of Dinuba as the annual Raisin Day Parade moved through downtown.
A highlight of the Raisin Day Harvest Festival and the parade on Sept. 28 brought out hundreds of community members to celebrate Dinuba’s past and present. Put on by the Dinuba Chamber of Commerce with support from the city and local businesses and service organizations, the parade traveled through the heart of Dinuba, passing by Rose Ann Vuich Park on El Monte Way before continuing south down Fresno Street, H Street and Tulare Street, ending on L Street near Entertainment Plaza.
Featured in the parade included the Dinuba Fire Department, the Dinuba High School Emperors Marching Band, the DHS Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC), the Washington Intermediate School Marching Band, the Miss Dinuba pageant participants, representatives for Dinuba’s Miss Cinco de Mayo and many more.
Dinuba also welcomed neighboring marching bands, including those from Reedley High School and Orosi High School. Political figures included Tulare County District 4 Supervisor Eddie Valero, Congressman Jim Costa, Councilmember Rachel Nerio-Guerrero and Mayor Maribel Reynosa and candidates for State Assembly and the Dinuba Unified School District Board of Trustees.
Parade awards went to Reedley High School for the best band, the Dinuba Early Education Center for the best theme, Jefferson Elementary for the best student group and Victor Romo Horses for best overall parade entry. Judges said that the RHS band had an “amazingly strong performance so early in the school year” and they were glad to have horses back in the parade this year thanks to the Victor Romo Horses float.
“Great dancing, prancing and display of culture,” judges said of Victor Romo Horses. Additionally, judges loved the Happy Days float theme brought by the Early Education Center and the positive energy from Jefferson Elementary and Parade Grand Marshall Greg Olsen.
The festival also featured a mascot dance-off, which Sparky the Dinuba Fire Dog took first place in, with the Dinuba Business Bee coming in second and Peña’s Zero the Hero coming in third.
