Rapids River Days Annual Parade to Present Music and Fun for All Ages

(KNSI) – The annual Rapids River Days festival may be halfway through, but the fun is far from over.

Friday, June 26, will see the festival’s parade come through town, beginning at 6:00 p.m. near Pleasantville Elementary School and running along Sixth Avenue, ending by Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School. Over 90 different units and 10 marching bands will be featured, including the Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle and High School Marching Storm bands.

Additional marching bands from Sartell, Foley, Owatonna, and Bemidji High Schools will also take part. The award-winning Litchfield Marching Dragons will appear, as will the 728 Cadets, a non-profit marching arts organization for middle and high school students in Zimmerman, Rogers, Elk River, and Otsego.

Floats include the St. Cloud ROX Baseball Club, the Sauk Rapids Fire Department, the St. Cloud Shrine Go-Karts, and a special float for the Grand Marshal/Citizen of the Year winner, Yvonne Crandall. Great River Bowl and Partners Pub in Sartell, Manea’s Meats, and St. Cloud Toyota are among this year’s many sponsors.

“We have a lot of features in the parade that everybody just loves,” said Festival Coordinator Marla Elness. “Whether you’re new or you’ve been watching the parade for many years, everyone has seen Sauk Rapids grow. They see it has so much more to offer than they ever had seen before.”

Returning this year is the parade’s Float Decorating Contest, which will see one lucky float win a $200 cash prize in one of six categories: Best Business, Best Non-Profit, Best Youth Group, STORM Green & Gold, We Love Sauk Rapids, and Top Truck. Floats may enter multiple categories, but are eligible to win in only one.

Check out the full parade line-up by clicking here.

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