Friday, April 26, 2024
GOOD TURNOUT: Revelers lined both sides of Pearl Street as the parade slowly made its way to Pirate Stadium. Floats were decorated as whimsical board games.
FIREWORKS SHOW: The pep rally was punctuated with a fireworks display that wowed the crowd.
SCHOOL SPIRIT: A cheer squad performs on the turf of Johnny Perkins field during during the pep rally as hues of purple painted a beautiful evening sky.
QUEEN SUPPORT: Sarah Blackmon (left) and Brent Blackmon, detective with the Granbury Police Department, hold up a homemade sign that they made for their daughter, Caylin, a homecoming queen nominee, to show support for her.
YOUNG PIRATE: A young fan enthusiastically cheers on parade participants.
Excitement and Pirate pride filled the air Wednesday afternoon as spectators lined up on either side of Pearl Street for the 2021 Granbury High School Homecoming Parade.
Locals were setting up lawn chairs and brandishing homemade signs showing how thrilled they were to see the return of the parade and spirit rally — both of which had to be canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The GHS band and JROTC kicked off the parade followed by the Coming Home King and Queen and the Homecoming King and Queen candidates. Stowaways, cheerleaders, athletic teams, student organizations and Pee Wee football players and cheerleaders made up the rest of the parade lineup.
With the “Pirates Play to Win” theme, floats were decked out and decorated — paying homage to several popular board games perfect for family game night.
Games like Battleship, Sorry, Connect4, CandyLand and Monopoly all came to life, with students dressing up in game-related costumes and adding to the homecoming spirit.
Granbury resident Kayla Henderson said she was excited to watch the parade because her daughter was on the Chutes and Ladders float.
“They’re middle schoolers looking like toddlers,” she said. “She didn’t get to do it last year because of COVID.”
Henderson has lived in Granbury for five years and said she loves the “small-town feel of it.”
“There’s so much going on every other week,” said Teresa Bradford, who has lived in Granbury for two years. “I love the square and the social events.”
Eight-year-old Avery Farris was excited for the parade because she got the chance to see her brother on the theater float.
Like Henderson, Granbury resident Jason LaPlant was excited to get back into a sense of normalcy following months of COVID limitations.
“I'm glad to see that the street is lined with people,” he said. “Nobody's afraid and everybody's ready to get back to a normal life. At least we've shut down part of the pandemic behind us and we can kind of move forward with life.”
