Despite the cool, dreary day, children anxiously waited for candy tossed from parade entrants. Old Settlers Day is slated for late September in Smith Center, Kansas with welcome flags and US flags lining the streets. For over a hundred years, a tradition that began from celebrating the final harvest and a gathering of the original settlers eventually turned into a parade and other activities. The parade began with the police patrol cars and the VFW color guard following. They stopped at the four-way intersection and Manda Lyn Wanner sang the national anthem and proceeded to announce the parade. Each year there is a theme and this year’s was ‘Heart of the Nation’. The parade participants were marching bands, floats, tractors and horses. {{more}}
For the adults, the attraction in the parade is the old tractors, rare tractors, and older cars. Smith Center Redmen football team rode on a flatbed trailer, celebrating their win from the previous evening. The Redmen team have been state champs for several years.
This year had an entry by the Gardner Wellness Center. The wellness center is the place to go to workout, exercise, and even buy a massage. The Smith Center High School Cross Country team walked in the parade and carried a sign: I AM BLESSED TO HAVE LEGS THAT CARRY ME & A HEART THAT PUSHES ME.
The model Home on the Range cabin was also featured in the parade. The cabin north of Athol, Kansas is where Dr. Higley wrote a poem titled ‘My Western Home.’ The poem was set to music and eventually became famous, sang by cattle drovers and soldiers. The song spread through the West and became the national anthem of the cowboys.
A week before the parade there was a hay bale decorating contest for Chamber of Commerce members and the winners were announced before the parade.The Guaranty Bank won third place with a slogan written on a wood pallet placed on top the hay bale. It read, One flag One land One heart One nation evermore.
One bystander commented she thought this was one of the best parades with floats, and church participation. There were 88 parade entries.
When the parade ended, the tradition of a barbecue of beef and beans is much-anticipated. At the fairground was a display of all kinds of tractors and tractor engines. This gathering is called The Way They Were.
Many decades ago, Senator Bob Dole rode in a convertible and waved at all the parade goers. His hometown of Russell is south of Smith Center.
As always, the Gaylord Community United Church of Christ had the popular bake sale downtown. Other organizations sold treats, and the poppy sale by the VFW auxiliary.
The judges of the parade awarded Home on the Range first place in organizations. Many awards were given to churches and car owners and floats.
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