It costs at least $60,000 to put on a Pioneer Day Parade each year

By Maylia Baird

Contributing Writer

PASO ROBLES — The Estrella Warbirds Campus hosted the Pre-Pioneer Day Kick-Off Party on Sept. 28 this past Saturday. The itinerary consisted of a cocktail hour and dessert auction, barbeque dinner, live auction, and even casino games and dancing to DJ Andy Morris, and at 10 p.m., the party came to a close. 

Proceeds from the gathering go to help pay for Pioneer Day and all the events leading up to it. Plus, it helps to maintain and restore tractors, wagons, and other equipment that belong to the community and are used in the parade. 

“We’re a nonprofit. The funds that we make here go to the Pioneer Day fun. It costs at least $60,000 to put on a parade,” Mark Perry told Paso Robles Press. 

The campus was packed with tables, and attendees enjoyed the food and activities. The royals of the parade: Grand Marshal Dick Woodland, Queen Bonnie Cary Thorndyke, and Belle Reese Jaureguy and her committee were present, but this event was also open to the public, so anyone could buy a ticket and support the nonprofit. 

Besides raising money for the parade, this event is entertaining and spurs excitement for our long-awaited annual Pioneer Day celebration. Each year, board members work hard to make it a day that people look forward to, with dancing, auctions, and a delicious BBQ supper being the highlights. 

“It takes a lot to get the parade going. It’s not just an impromptu get-together; it’s a long process, and everybody does their part. Perry says we’ve got a tractor committee, wagon committee, kick-off committee, and all kinds of different committees,” Perry says. 

The Barbary Coast Ladies were also present at this event and have participated in the Pioneer Day Parade for decades. This year, the ladies are: Madame Foxy Finley, Miss de Muir, True Blue Trish, Ravishing Rebecca, Sweet Charity, and Fancy Flory. They are natural entertainers and frequent winners of the Best Costume Prize. This year, they will be enjoying holding tradition by riding in a carriage driven by Tom Harris in the parade, as they have since their initial involvement in 1961. They are involved in events leading up to Pioneer Day in hopes of raising money for the cause. 

Tradition is highly-esteemed and vital to the board members and most every guest. It is the main reason people come out to support this event and Paso Robles’ Pioneer Day Parade. Many board and committee members have grown up in Paso and have been attending the parade since before they could remember. They put a lot of effort into honoring and upholding their history to preserve and display Paso’s traditions for generations to come. 

“I think it’s so important because of the old time and how all the families come together; they get to learn their heritage,” says Wade Taylor, who’s on the wagon committee.

The 94th annual Paso Robles Pioneer Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, in Downtown Paso Robles. To learn more, visit pasoroblespioneerday.org/parade. 

Feature Image by Derek Luff, courtesy of the Paso Robles Pioneer Day Committee