Yesterday, that girl and
I drove into Helena to watch the 93rd annual Vigilante Parade. According to the Independent Record, our
local paper, the parade is among the oldest high school parades in the nation. In 1924, Helena High principal A. J. Roberts
originated the parade as a way to replace a traditional spring event called “Senior-Junior
Fight.” The battles between seniors and
juniors for placing their flags began in the 1890s and had, by the 1920s, escalated
into all manner of actual fights and anarchy.
My parents participated
in the Vigilante Parade in the 1940s.
One year they rode an authentic stagecoach through Last Chance Gulch.
I was on the Sweepstakes
winning “Oxbow Mine” float in 1973 and part of the parade in 1974 when Capital
High became part of the parade for the first time.
My daughter was in the
parade in the 1990s.
The parade celebrates the
history of Helena and Montana as a whole.
We watched yesterday’s
parade from a spot on the walking mall section of Last Chance Gulch, just
across from the Livestock Building. As
always, some of the floats were very detailed and well-constructed. Others were just for fun. Honestly, I felt a sense of pride as I
watched the parade.
Today, I am posting a few
parade photographs taken with my smarter-than-me-phone.
--Mitchell Hegman
Very cool! Mahalo!
ReplyDeleteI love the Vigilante Parade. It really is one of the defining events here in Helena.
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