The Cochrane Labour Day Parade has just celebrated its 54th anniversary and continues to put Cochrane's strong community spirit on display during the most celebrated weekend of the year.
Marina Chabbert, of the Cochrane & Area Events Society (CAES), says they've received plenty of positive feedback on the route change and the overall parade.
"The comments that I received was that it felt like a small hometown parade," says Marina Chabbert of CAES. "It was very community-oriented and very close, which is a really great compliment."
"What else it did was brought everybody together. They weren't all spread apart, and it reinforced that community feeling. That's what I've been trying to bring back for quite some time and I think by focusing on those two streets that's exactly what it did, and also having the pancake on main played a huge part in that."
Floats, horses and at least 300 people travelled large stretches of Railway and 1st St. W. and a few blocks of River Ave. in the 45-minute parade. There were 72 entries, but that doesn't fully reflect the magnitude of the parade.
Chabbert says many had multiple pieces, such as the Shriners, and added together it's the equivalent of 150 floats.
There was plenty of music spread throughout the parade that was lead by the treasured Cochrane Pipe Band. The Calgary Stampede entry included a live performance, as did Cochrane Sings, and music was key to many entries, including the Alberta Ghostbusters and the dancers from Snap Dance Studio.
The new parade route saw the floats travel long stretches of Railway and 1st St. W. and a few blocks of River Ave.
The heart of the Historic Downtown was kept buzzing even before the parade began. The Cochrane Activettes annual pancake breakfast attracted long lineups of people and estimated to have dished up a thousand servings. Right beside them was a performance by the Calgary Stampede's Band of Outriders at the Centennial Plaza.
Five other street performers were providing entertainment along the route.
Chabbert says they were fortunate to have over 60 volunteers step forward for the parade, including a large contingency from the Cochrane Cobras football team.
"They came with about 32 volunteers, which is amazing. It gave us such an incredible boost, and what an amazing display of community spirit."
The winners of the trophies awarded in several categories are expected to be announced later today or tomorrow.
